A Pirate's Life for Me
by SilverstartheWaterbender
Summary: Yes, yes, ANOTHER insert fic. When sixteenyearold Mary Anderson receives a strange bracelet for her birthday, she's sent into the world of Curse of the Black Pearl! There's only one thing to do now...DRINK RUM! Rated T to be safe. JackxOC in places.
1. The Bracelet

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Okay, before anyone starts yelling at me, I wanted to do this for a while, so if you don't like POTC inserts, then go click on something else.

**Silverstar's Promise: I solemnly swear to make this fic as entertaining as I can and not plagiarize any other POTC insert fic.**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter One: The Bracelet

"Happy Birthday, Mary!"

"Sweet sixteen, baby!"

"Thanks for inviting me!"

Shouts and squeals of all kind were present at the sweet sixteen of Mary Anderson. Well, technically, there was only like four people there, due to Mary's severe unpopular-ness. _"Who cares?" _Mary thought, munching her cake. _"A party's a party. And man, is this a party!"_

Mary and all four of her friends were completely obsessed with the swashbuckling hit series, Pirates of the Caribbean. So naturally, all aspects of the party were pirate-based. The house was decorated to look like the infamous Black Pearl, everyone was dressed like pirates (Joey had a stuffed monkey on his shoulder), and every twenty minutes on the dot, a round of "A Pirates Life for Me" was sung loudly.

"Hey, where's the birthday girl?" Joey shouted.

"C'mon out, Mary!" Celia shouted. "It's time for presents!"

Mary carefully adjusted her pirate garb – a loose white shirt, brown pants tied around her waist with a length of rope, leather boots, a tri-cornered hat over her black hair, and her fencing sword tucked in to her "belt" – and walked into the living room.

"Avast, me hearties!" she called, in a spitting imitation of Barbossa's voice. "What's this I be hearing about treasure?"

The crew of 10th graders grinned and held up brightly colored boxes. "Right here, Cap'n!"

Mary wrung her hands like a greedy pirate and got down to work. Joey had given her a little stuffed monkey, identical to the one on his shoulder. Celia, whose uncle owned the fencing center, gave her a coupon for two weeks of free fencing. Lisa gave her a pretty pink T-shirt with the phrase, "Why is the rum gone?!" on it. But her best present came from her best friend, Rebecca. Mary opened the box to see a beautiful bracelet of black pearls.

Mary gasped and put it gently on her wrists. "Wow, Rebecca," she said softly. "It's beautiful! How did you get it?"

Rebecca smiled. "My aunt's a jeweler. I have one, too," she added, gesturing to her wrist. "Consider it a friendship bracelet."

Mary grinned and hugged her. "You're the best." She turned back to her loyal crew. "Well, wenches and mates, shall we partake of our riches?" She held up Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest. "What say ye?" "Aye!" the group shouted, and rushed for snacks and soda.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mary woke with a start. She had finally gone to bed after five hours of pirate-y goodness. Now, she was wide awake in her room of POTC paraphernalia.

"Weird," she muttered. "I thought I'd be out like a light after that crazy party. Oh, I think I've got a grape juice hangover…" To be safe, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had disposed of all alcoholic beverages before the party, causing grape juice to be the "rum."

Mary yawned and checked the clock. As 11:59 slowly melted into midnight, the black pearls on her wrist started glowing faintly. Mary felt a sort of tingling sensation throughout her body.

"What the hell is happening?" she shouted, and her world went black.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Silverstar: Whoa! That was seriously weird. Chapter 2 will be up soon. R&R!

**_Edited 9/16/07_**


	2. An Early Visit to Tortuga

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Now for the good stuff. CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW, BABY!

**Little Miss Vampire: **Glad you think so! Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I kinda forgot to put this in last time…oops. Anyway, I don't own POTC. I do own Mary, Tom, Fitch, and all Mary's party guests from the last chapter.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter Two: An Early Visit to Tortuga

"Ugh," Mary moaned. "What happened?" Mary put her hand to her hand, and gasped. She was wearing her tri-cornered hat! Looking down, Mary saw that she was wearing _all _her pirate clothing from the party, including her sword, which had mysteriously changed into a real cutlass. Her bracelet was there, too. Looking around, Mary saw that she was in a dark, damp, and rather smelly alley.

"Ew! I was _lying down _in here?" she said in disgust. She glared at her bracelet. "This is all your fault! Where the hell did you take me?"

The bracelet, of course, was silent. Mary cursed and walked out of the alley into an equally dark, damp, and rather smelly town. Gunshots went off every couple seconds, and people were staggering drunkenly out of the bars.

"Wait a second," Mary whispered. "Am I in…Tortuga?" A loud chorus of "A Pirate's Life for Me" confirmed her suspicion. "Oh my God, I am! I'm in the POTC world!" she squealed happily, jumping up and down, and then paused, observing her surroundings. "The least they could do is land me in Port Royal or something."

Mary walked out of the alley, avoiding various drunkards, until she reached the port. "Hmm," she said to herself. "Maybe I can hijack a boat and sail to Port Royal…it worked for Jack…no, wait, he got slapped…again…twice…heh-heh-heh…"

Mary suddenly felt a hand clap her shoulder. Turning around, she saw two large, overweight men giving her very uncomfortable looks. They were obviously drunk. **(1) **

"Hey, beautiful," the first one slurred. "What's a nice girl like you doing down here?"

Mary shrugged his hand off. "Get your filthy hands off me, you drunken bastard!"

"Ooo, she don't like us, Tom," the second guy laughed.

"But we like her, don't we, Fitch?" the first guy said, taking a step closer.

Mary quickly pulled out her sword and pointed it at the drunks. "I know how to use this!" she threatened.

The men laughed and pulled out swords of their own. Mary gulped. _"Oh, great," _she thought. _"So much for my freaking innocence." _

"Now look, sweetie," Tom said. "We don't want to mess up that pretty face o' yours. So all you gotta do is –" Tom suddenly broke off as a bottle was smashed over his head. He fell to the ground, out cold. Mary took advantage of the distraction by kicking Fitch where it hurts. Fitch made a noise halfway between a scream and a shriek and fell to the ground.

Mary turned to the figure holding the now broken bottle. "Thanks for that."

"Don't worry 'bout it, luv."

Mary gasped. She knew that voice. All her friends did. She squinted into the darkness, and her mouth dropped opened in shock.

"You all right?"

Mary nodded, and then found her voice. "Captain Jack Sparrow?"

"In the flesh, luv!" Jack answered brightly. "I take it you've heard of me?"

"Um, YEAH!" Mary shouted. Quickly composing herself, she corrected, "I mean, uh, who hasn't? That thing at Nassau Port was beautiful. Not one shot."

"Thank you. So, at the risk of sounding like these two –" Jack prodded Tom with his foot – "what _are _you doing here?"

"Just looking at the boats. Maybe borrowing one for a bit."

Jack smiled. "You're a girl after me own heart, luv. What did you say your name was?"

Since Mary was a die-hard Sparrow fan, it took a second for the question to register. "Mary. Mary Anderson."

Jack nodded. "Interesting." He looked around. "Well, nice chatting with you, luv, but now I'll be on my way." He turned around and started walking away.

"Off to Port Royal already, are you?" Too late, Mary realized what she just said.

Jack turned around and stared at her. "How did you know that?"

Mary smiled. "I know things, Jack. Lots of things. And that's interesting because _I'm _headed to Port Royal myself."

Jack blinked, still confused. "What are you going to do there?"

"Oh…this and that." In truth, Mary would just let the movie do its thing, but she couldn't tell that to Jack. "And you're going to commandeer a ship, right?"

Jack nodded weakly. "Is it that obvious?"

Mary sighed. "I told you already. _I know things_."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "I'm having a thought here, luv. If you know that I'm going to commandeer a ship, then you must know _why_, am I right?"

"Aye. You're planning to chase down and reclaim the Pearl."

Jack nodded. "Of course, _I _can't crew a ship all by me onesie, and _you _don't appear to have as much experience with a sword as most people, even drunkards. No offense."

"None taken," Mary sighed. He had a point.

"So here's what I'm thinking: you help me get my ship back, and I'll make sure no one like these two –" he prodded Fitch with his foot – "bother you again, savvy?"

Mary nodded. "Okay. Just one thing, though: don't suffocate me, mate. I'm _much _stronger than I look."

"After seeing what you did to Fitch, I don't doubt it. So, do we have an accord?" He stuck out his hand.

Mary shook it eagerly. "Agreed. So, which one are we taking?" She knew, of course, but all the boats looked the same to her.

"That one," Jack answered, pointing to the one in front of them. "A friend of mine is letting me borrow it."

Mary snorted. "I don't think Anamaria will let you _borrow _anything, Jack. Don't bother lying next time, because I'll know."

Jack nodded cautiously, and got into the boat. Mary followed, thanking the powers that she knew how to sail. **(2) **

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(1) **Of course, _everyone's _drunk in Tortuga.

**(2) **She's obsessed, remember?

Silverstar: That wraps up Chapter 2. We'll be getting to the actual movie in the next chapter. R&R!

_**Edited 9/16/07**_


	3. Two Really Stupid Guards

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: I forgot to mention this last chapter, but jennfire so graciously corrected/reminded me: **Mary's fencing sword was changed into a real cutlass** **when she was sucked into the movie**. Sorry for the confusion!

**jennfire: **Heh heh, thanks for that. I got too caught up in the dialogue to really pay attention to small details. Won't happen again! Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **What if Toby was part of Barbossa's crew? Then he'd be a skeletal werewolf…weird. I won't put to much emphasis on the werewolf thing though. Maybe in the fight on Isla de Muerta…So, can I use him? Pretty please? Thanks for reviewing!

**Lilly Rose Redrider: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I'm obsessed enough to own Pirates. Does that count?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter Three: Two Really Stupid Guards

"That's not going to work, you know!" Mary called down. It was the morning after Mary had been sucked into the movie, and the boat apparently had a hole in it, due to the fact that six inches of water had made its way in. Mary was standing atop the mast, while Jack was trying to bail out the water.

Jack glared up at her. "It might if you helped!"

"Yeah, but there's only one bucket."

"So use your hat!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Sorry about that, luv."

"Don't even joke about that." **(1) **

At that point, the boat passed the cove where the pirates were hung. Both Jack and Mary removed their tri-cornered hats as they passed.

"Dead men tell no tales," Jack said solemnly.

"That was never proven."

"What?"

"Just bail."

After another thirty seconds, Mary jumped down, took the bucket from Jack's hands, and tossed it in a random direction. Jack stared at her. Mary shrugged and started climbing up the mast. Jack followed, and they each stood on either side.

"Hopefully we'll get to Port Royal before the boat completely sinks," Jack said, peering down at the water.

"We'll make it," Mary assured him.

"How do you know?"

"_Jack_…"

"Oh, right."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As expected, the boat made it to the docks just in time. Jack stepped off the boat, holding out his hand to help Mary. Mary took it and jumped off, trying to hide her smile. This part always cracked her up. **(2)**

They were almost off the pier when they heard a voice. "Hold up there, you!" They turned around to see the bespectacled man with his slave. "It's a shilling to tie up your boat," the man explained. Everyone looked back at the boat. Only the mast was above water.

Mary grinned slyly. "I don't see any boat."

The man ignored her. "And I shall need to know your name."

Jack fished three shillings out of his pockets and placed them on the record book. "What do you say to three shillings, and we forget the name?" he bargained.

The man hesitated, and then closed the book. "Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Mrs.?" Jack quickly put his hands together in his little "thank you" motion. As the man walked away, Jack stole the little sack of money from the podium.

Mary laughed. "You are _such _a pirate."

"Thank you, luv."

"You're welcome. So, the Interceptor next, right?"

"What?"

"You know, the fastest ship in the Royal Navy."

"I don't. But thanks for the idea!"

They walked down the docks to where the Dauntless was tied up. From there, faint strains of Norrington's promotion ceremony could be heard. Murtogg and Mullroy were suddenly in their faces.

"This dock is off-limits to civilians," Murtogg said.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know," Jack apologized.

"If we see one, we shall inform you immediately," Mary finished. They tried to get around them, but the guards moved to block them again.

Jack thoughtfully at the Dauntless. "Apparently there's some sort of high-tone and fancy to-do up at the fort there. How could it be that two upstanding gentlemen such as yourselves did not merit an invitation?"

"I think we _all _know the answer to that," Mary muttered.

"Someone needs to make sure this dock stays off-limits to civilians," Murtogg answered nervously.

"Of course," Mary cut in. "But shouldn't you be guarding _that _boat?" She pointed to the Interceptor. "It's faster, plus it looks better."

"Oh, the Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough," Mullroy said. "But there's no ship that can match the Interceptor for speed."

"I've heard of one," Jack replied. "It's supposed to be very fast, nigh uncatchable…the Black Pearl." Mary caught her breath excitedly. Jack winked at her, smiling.

Mullroy scoffed. "There's no _real _ship that can match the Interceptor."

Murtogg stared at him. "Black Pearl is a real ship."

"No. No it's not."

"Yes it is, I've seen it."

"You've seen it?"

"Yes."

"You haven't seen it."

"Yes, I have!"

Jack rolled his eyes, and Mary made her you're-such-an-idiot face. Jack smiled and jerked his head towards the Dauntless. Mary grinned, and the two crept aboard.

"You've seen a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil, that hell itself spat him back out?"

Murtogg paused. "No."

Mullroy grinned. "No."

"But I _have _seen a ship with black sails."

"Oh, and _no _ship that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that hell itself spat him back out could _possibly _have black sails, therefore couldn't _possibly _be any other ship than the Black Pearl. Is that what you're saying?"

"No."

Mullroy smirked. "Like I said, there's no _real _ship that can match the…" Mullroy broke off as he just noticed the two weren't there. Jack was at the wheel, and Mary was examining the mast.

"Hey! You! Get away from there!" Murtogg shouted.

"You don't have permission to be aboard there, mates."

"No one really cares," Mary said in a sing-song voice.

"I'm sorry, it's just…it's such a pretty boat," Jack told the guards.

"Ship," Mary corrected.

"Ship."

"What are your names?" Mullroy asked.

"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like," the two said at the same time. Jack gave Mary a confused glance, and Mary smiled innocently.

Jack's look caught Mullroy's glance. "And what's your purpose here in Port Royal, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?"

Mary gave him a look. "Look, people, I wouldn't exactly be complaining if that was true, but –"

"And no lies!" Murtogg interrupted.

"Well then," Jack replied. "I confess. It is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out."

Mary nodded. "What he said."

Murtogg stared at them. "I said no lies!"

"I think he was telling the truth!" Mullroy told him.

"If he was telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us," Murtogg explained.

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth, even if he told it to you," Jack interrupted.

It took all of the little self-control Mary had left at this point not to burst out laughing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(1) **He should know better than that!

**(2) **Me too. He has such great timing!

Silverstar: Those guys should've been in DMC.


	4. An Obsessive Commodore

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 4!

**Little Miss Vampire: **I love Jack! Thanks for reviewing!

**J. B. Duenweg: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Great! Thanks for reviewing!

**spirochick39:** Thanks for reviewing!

**X5-452-54: **That could be a little difficult, since I'm already trying to fit in Mary and an OC from one of my other reviewers. Sorry:( Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Four: An Obsessive Commodore

"And then they made me their chief," Jack concluded.

"_Three, two, one…" _Mary thought.

SPLASH!

The three men turned towards where Elizabeth had fallen. "Will you be saving her, then?" Jack asked after a moment.

"I can't swim!" Mullroy answered.

Jack looked over at Murtogg, who shook his head. Jack rolled his eyes. "Pride of the king's navy, you are," he muttered.

Mary removed her hat and sword. "If you lose these, I will _personally _turn you into a eunuch, savvy?" she threatened, handing them to Mullroy. He gulped and nodded. Jack gave his effects to Murtogg, and jumped into the water. Mary followed.

The water was cold and murky – no doubt due to the medallion – but they had no trouble locating Elizabeth. Mary came up for air just as Jack grabbed her. He swam upwards, but was quickly pulled back down. When they came up again, part of Elizabeth's dress was ripped off. Mary grabbed onto one of her arms, steadying her, and they swam towards the docks.

Jack placed Elizabeth on the docks, and then helped Mary out of the water. Mary put on her hat and strapped her sword to her rope-belt as Murtogg examined Elizabeth. "Not breathing!" he said frantically.

"Move!" Jack ordered. He ripped off the corset, and Elizabeth came to. Jack handed the corset to Mary, who passed it on to Murtogg.

"Never would of thought of that," Mullroy said.

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore," Jack answered.

"That suggests things," Mary muttered.

Jack examined the medallion. "Where did you get that?"

Mary gave him a look. "Do you want specifics or the generals?"

Right on cue, Norrington and his lackeys made their entrance. "On your feet!" he ordered Jack. Mary opened her mouth to protest, but a few soldiers pointed their guns at her. She closed her mouth and smiled weakly.

Governor Swann came and placed a blanket around his shivering daughter's shoulders. He took one look at Jack and Mary and said, "Shoot them!"

"_Father_!" protested Elizabeth. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuers?"

Norrington frowned but lowered his weapon. Mary smiled gratefully and Jack made his "thank you" motion.

"I believe thanks are in order," Norrington said, holding out his hand. Jack eyed it warily.

"Jack, don't --" Mary started, but Norrington gave her a look that said, "Talk and I will _kill_ you." Jack held out his own hand. Norrington grabbed and rolled up the sleeve to reveal a P shaped burn.

"Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we? Pirate?" Jack winced, and Mary groaned loudly.

"Hang him!" the governor told Norrington.

"Keep your guns on him, men!" Norrington ordered. "Gillette, fetch some irons!" He rolled Jack's sleeve up further to reveal an odd tattoo. "Well, well…Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

Jack smiled. "_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir," he corrected.

"And don't you forget it, Jimmy!" Mary added.

Norrington stared at her before continuing his questionnaire. "Well, I don't see your ship, _Captain_."

"I'm in the market, as it were," Jack replied.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one," Murtogg broke in.

"Told you he was telling the truth," Mullroy muttered. "These are his, sir!" He handed Norrington Jack's pirate stuff.

Norrington examined the gun. "No additional shots, nor powder…" He moved on to Jack's magic compass. "…a compass that doesn't point North…" He pulled Jack's sword out of its sheath. "And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without a doubt the _worst_ pirate I've ever heard of!"

Jack smiled cryptically. "But you _have _heard of me."

Norrington rolled his eyes and turned to Mary. "Well, let's see what the damage is here."

Mary looked left, right, and behind her. "Who, me?"

Norrington rolled his eyes again and grabbed her right arm. He rolled up the sleeve to find…nothing. Growling, Norrington grabbed her other arm. Nothing there either.

"In your face, Jimmy," Mary said, sticking her tongue out at him.

Norrington looked like he would kill her right there, mark or not. Instead, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Mary Anderson, _sir_." Norrington eyed her suspiciously. Mary sighed and pulled her sword slightly, revealing part of the blade. "It's real, see?"

"And where," Norrington said, smirking, "did you get that lovely bracelet?"

Mary looked down at the bracelet. "A birthday present from my friend."

"Your friend? You mean, your friend the _jeweler_?"

Mary stared at him. "I did _not _steal my bracelet!"

Norrington's smirk widened. "Now, did I say that? Only a thief would immediately jump to conclusions like that. Seize her." He obviously was looking for an excuse to kill her.

One of the soldiers grabbed her hands and put them behind her back. "Let go of me! Norrington, you obsessive son of a bitch, you are _so _going to pay for this!"**(1) **

At this point, Gillette returned with the cuffs. Jack was led off to be clapped in irons, and Elizabeth came to the rescue. "Commodore, I really must protest! Pirates or not, these two saved my life!"

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness, Miss Swann," Norrington argued.

"But it seems enough to condemn him," Jack cut in.

"Indeed."

"But she doesn't have the brand!" Elizabeth retorted, pointing to Mary. "She's only a child!"

"Hardly," she scoffed. "I'm sixteen, and at this point, Keira Knightley was seventeen, which makes you seventeen, and already you've gotten proposed to!" Apparently she had lost everyone at "sixteen."

"Simply because she doesn't have the brand, does not mean she hasn't practiced piracy," Norrington explained. "It's difficult enough to find one black pearl, let alone the amount on that bracelet. And I doubt she was able to make so much money on her own."

"Man, you really need to find a hobby!" Mary called.

"Finally," Jack muttered as he was cuffed. Without warning, he threw the chain around Elizabeth's neck.

The men raised their guns, but Governor Swann cried, "No! Don't shoot!"

"I knew you'd warm up to me," Jack said triumphantly. "Commodore, my effects please. And my hat!" Norrington didn't move. "Commodore!" Jack warned. Norrington scowled, but took the effects from Mullroy and handed them to Elizabeth.

"I'd also thank you to release the girl," Jack continued. The soldier immediately let go of Mary's hands. Mary backed off and rubbed her wrists, casting a grateful look at Jack.

"Now, Elizabeth," Jack said. "It is Elizabeth, isn't it?"

"It's Miss Swann!"

"Now, Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind…come, come, dear, we haven't got all day."

Lizzie turned around and put on Jack's effects and hat. At one point, it looked like she was hugging him. Jack smiled at Norrington, who rolled his eyes. So did Mary. She wasn't fond of Sparrowbeth.

"Easy on the goods, darling," Jack told Elizabeth.

"You're despicable," Elizabeth said darkly.

"Sticks and stones, luv. I saved your life, you saved mine; we're square." He turned Elizabeth back around. "Gentlemen…m'lady, you always remember this day as the day you _almost_ caught…Captain…Jack…Sparrow!" He thrust Elizabeth at the soldiers and fled. Mary took advantage of the distraction and charged into the confused soldiers. Once free, she took off down the docks and into the town.

Jack joined her momentarily, followed by the sound of guns. "Does this happen to you a lot?" Mary asked, trying to dodge bullets.

"Little too much for my liking, luv," Jack answered.

Mary groaned. "Why does that not surprise me?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **I apologize to those of you that like Norrington. I really don't like him.

Silverstar: …I got nothing. R&R!

**_Edited 9/ 18/07_**


	5. Two Gorgeous Actors with Swords

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 5! Fans of Will rejoice, for he makes his appearance in this chapter!

**DxS Phreak: **We'll see! Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Mary will only see him like three times, so he'll probably only be in his werewolf form once. Can Toby talk as a werewolf? Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Five: Two Gorgeous Actors with Swords

Jack and Mary ran for a few more minutes before ducking into an alley. A troop of soldiers ran past without even glancing their way.

"A well-oiled machine, but incredibly stupid," Mary whispered to Jack.

"Shhh!" he warned, and ducked inside the blacksmith's shop. Mary followed, rejoicing in the fact that she was about to meet the _second _hottest guy in the movie. Jack immediately spotted the tools on the table. He put down his hat and examined a hammer, but the bottle dropping from Mr. Brown's hand stopped him.

"Will you relax?" Mary said, cuddling the donkey. **(1) **"He could sleep through a swordfight. One with a lot of taunting and heavy machinery thrown in."

"You never can tell, luv," Jack whispered, and crept over to Mr. Brown. Jack poked him. No response. "WHOA!" Still nothing.

"Told you," Mary muttered.

Jack didn't answer. He was busy trying to break the cuffs with the hammer. "Will you help me with this?" he said, hopelessly shaking the cuffs.

"I've got a better idea," Mary said. She walked over to Jack, and started dragging him by the chain on his cuffs towards the gears. She put the chain through one of the ridges.

"Stay," she ordered, and walked back to the donkey. "Come here, baby," she crooned. The donkey didn't move. Mary tried pulling the donkey by the rope around its neck **(2)**, but the donkey wouldn't budge. "Damn it! Are _all _the animals here this unresponsive?"

"I know what'll work," Jack said, grabbing a poker from the fire.

Mary glared at him. "Jack, don't you dare!"

Too late. The donkey was struggling against its burden, baying in pain, and Jack had already freed himself. Mary opened her mouth to give Jack a lecture on animal rights when the door shook slightly. Jack grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a few huge barrels. The door opened, and Will walked in. He rushed over to the donkey and quieted it. Mary shot an accusatory glare at Jack, who smiled meekly.

"Right where I left you," Will said, smiling at his drunken master. He turned to see the hammer still lying on the anvil. "_Not_ where I left you." He then noticed Jack's hat. He touched it, but of course Jack was there to intercept him with his sword. "You're the one they're hunting," Will whispered, taking a few steps back. "The pirate!"

"Duh," Mary said, coming out from behind the barrel. Will looked at her.

"You look familiar," Jack said suddenly. "Have I threatened you before?"

"I make it a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."

"Ah, well I'd hate to make a black mark on your record, so if you'll excuse us…" Jack started walking away, but before he got very far, Will grabbed a sword and pointed it at him. Jack smirked. "Do you think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?"

Mary ducked out of the way while Will hinted of his undying love for Elizabeth. "Yay!" Mary said, sitting next to the donkey. "Time to watch two gorgeous actors with swords!" Silence. Mary sighed. "Carry on."

Will gave Jack a look. Jack frowned. "Don't look at me, mate. Not my fault she's mad."

"I SAID CARRY ON!"

They did. After a bit, Jack was done. "Ta," he said, and walked towards the door. Will threw his sword, hitting the catch.

"Nice aim," Mary said, while Jack struggled with the sword.

"Thank you."

"That is a wonderful trick," Jack said finally. "Except once again, you are between us and our way out." It was so nice that Jack remembered there was someone with him. "And now, you have no weapon!" Will quickly grabbed a poker from the fire and Jack's smile disappeared. The donkey bayed again and started moving. The gears turned, updating the danger.

Mary watched the fight for a bit before calling up, "Who makes all these bloody weapons?"

"I do!" Will answered. "And I practice with them…three hours a day!"

"You need to find yourself a girl, mate!" Jack replied, and Mary burst out laughing, startling the donkey again. "Or," Jack said after a minute, "maybe the reason you practice three hours a day is because you've already found one, and are otherwise incapable of _wooing_ said strumpet." Jack's smile disappeared. "You're not a eunuch, are you?"

"That remains to be seen!" Mary called up.

Will's scowl deepened. "I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it!"

The fight continued. After a minute, Mary climbed up the rafter with the bag of sand. When Will walked under it, she used her sword to slash the bottom. Tons of red sand dropped onto him, coating him with a fine red dust.

"Well done, luv!" Jack said, jumping down and pulling out his pistol.

Mary grinned and bowed with a flourish. "Thank you, I'll be here all night!" She turned and pointed her sword at Will.

Said blacksmith/ pirate/ possible eunuch stared at her disbelievingly. **(3) **"You cheated."

"Pirate!" Mary and Jack said at once.

Suddenly, the door began to rattle. "Move away!" Jack ordered.

"No!" answered Will.

Jack sighed. "_Please _move?"

"NO! I cannot just stand aside and let you escape!"

Jack cocked his pistol. "This shot was not meant for you."

Mary nodded. She was expecting Mr. Brown to come and knock out Jack, but for some reason, everyone but Jack hated her. The bottle hit the back of her head hard, and there was a bright flash of stars. Her last sensation was of someone catching her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **Is that a donkey or a mule?

**(2) **I'm not sure if there really is a rope, but you're in _my_ story now!

**(3) **I personally don't think he's a eunuch, just so you know. But Mary, on the other hand…

Silverstar: I've got a question for you, and I want you to take your time answering: **Should this be a JackxOC story? **I'm taking a vote, and if yes, I'll change the genre to a Parody/Romance. If no, then the story stays as it is. Let me know with your reviews!


	6. Attack of the Undead Pirates

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: I've got 4 votes for JackxOC and 0 against, so it looks like this'll be a romance story! This chapter will alternately switch POV's between Mary and Wolfen-Ways character, Toby Dicey.

**DxS Phreak: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Heeeeeeeere's Toby! He's sort of bloodthirsty, but then again, he's a pirate. Thanks for reviewing!

**J. B. Duenwig: **Um…a eunuch is a guy that's been…neutered. Thanks for reviewing!

**Little Miss Vampirate: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Kalaia: **Thanks for reviewing!

**WolfbainKohaku: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I only own Mary.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Six: Attack of the Undead Pirates

**(Mary's POV) **

The first thing I was aware of was that I was lying on cold, hard ground. How did that happen? Did I fall out of bed again?

"Come here, doggy!"

"Come and get the juicy bone!"

What the…oh yeah! I'm in POTC! YAY! Which means I'm in jail…NOT YAY! Oh, well. Time to get up. Groaning softly, I sat up to see Jack looking worriedly at me.

"Oh good, you're awake, luv!" he said brightly.

"No duh," I muttered. I turned to the prisoners in the next cell. "You know, the dog's not gonna come over here."

"Well, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet," one of them replied.

"Whatever. Hi, puppy!" I said to the dog. The dog wagged his tail. He reminds me so much of my puppy! I wonder how Terra's doing. She gets so upset if I'm gone for only a few hours. What'll be her reaction to me being sucked into the 17th century?

I turned back to Jack. "Who knocked me out?" I asked, though I already knew.

"The blacksmith. With a rum bottle." Jack made a face. "And _you_ said he wouldn't wake up."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, but if I was holding the bottle, I'd go after you, with the gun and upper body strength."

"Perhaps it was because I was more reluctant to kill the whelp."

"Makes sense to me."

Jack nodded and looked me in the eye. "Well, luv, now that we don't have a baker's dozen soldiers chasing after us, maybe it's time you tell ol' Jack about your future sight."

I blinked. "Um…I don't think so."

"Why not?" Jack pouted.

I resisted the urge to laugh. "Because…it's sort of a long story."

"We're not going anywhere."

I took a deep breath. What could I do? I couldn't just tell Jack that I was from the future. He'd think I was crazy! Okay, more crazy than usual. I looked at Jack. "Can we just say that I've been able to do this about three years, and just _know_ about you and Elizabeth and W…the whelp?"

Jack sighed. "Fair enough." I knew he wanted to find out the whole story, but he was giving me time.

With nothing else to do, Jack and I plunged into conversation. I told him that back home, I had four best friends and a puppy, all of whom I loved dearly. Jack said that he had preferred solitude over company, but he used to play with a little orange cat that hung around Tortuga. Sometimes, the prisoners from the next cell would put in their two cents in. And all the while, I kept thinking, _"He's so easy to talk to!" _The movie had never shown this laid-back, laughing side of Jack.

I was just drumming up my courage to tell Jack about my bracelet when a huge BOOM shook the night air.

"I know those guns," Jack murmured, and raced to the window. I followed.

"It's the Pearl," we said together.

"The Black Pearl?" one of the others asked. He and another prisoner crept up to the bars separating our cells. "I've heard stories. She's been raiding ships and settlements for near ten years…never leaves any survivors."

"No survivors?" Jack asked, turning to him. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"

"He _has_ got a point," Mary added.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Toby's POV)**

"_And so begins the raid of Port Royal," _I thought as my fellow pirates went ashore. If only I could've gone with them…Captain Barbossa's words came back to me: "I can't afford to have you go ashore, Toby. What with your…_talent_ drawing ever closer, you might do something we'll all regret."

Humph. Since when has Barbossa cared about others?

But for now, all I could do was load the guns. Ah, I love a good raid. It's times like this that remind me of the day I came to be on the Black Pearl. I was only three at the time, so I can't remember much, but I do remember excessive cannon fire. I was told that while the pirates had been searching for treasure on Isla de Muerta, they found a ship just right for raiding. They boarded, ransacked the cargo, and killed everyone on board.

That is, everyone but a brown-haired, emerald-eyed toddler.

Barbossa said it was a full moon at the time, so my "talent" was apparent. Wanting to use that power for personal benefit, he took me aboard the Pearl. As such, I received an equal share in the curse of the Aztec gold. So now, I've got _two_ nighttime alter egos.

Weird.

I stayed on the ship for about a half hour. During that time, the clouds rolled away from the moon only once, revealing our skeletal forms for an instant. I'll never get used to looking down at my hands and seeing a bunch of freaking bones.

Oh, look. One of the longboats is returning. What fun.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV)**

Jack and I watched the fight for about twenty minutes. I was just thinking about Will's face when Jacoby came back to life when Jack pulled me away from the window. There was a second BOOM, and the wall in the next cell blasted clean away.

"Thanks," I said to Jack.

"You're welcome."

One of the prisoners paused before running off. "My sympathies, friends. You've no matter of luck at all."

"Traitors!" I called after them. I looked back at the hole. "I think Barbossa did that on purpose!" I announced.

Jack didn't answer. He was trying to tempt the dog with a bone. "Come on, doggy! It's just you and me now…just you and ol' Jack."

"Hello?!"

"And Mary."

The dog took several cautious steps forward. "That's it," Jack coaxed. "Bit closer…bit closer…come on, you filthy, slimy, mangy cur…" I laughed. Suddenly, the door banged open, and the dog ran away guiltily. Jack gasped. "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it!" he called.

Some poor, dead soldier guy fell down the steps, followed by Twig and Koehler.

"This ain't the armory!" Twig observed.

"Yeah it is," I said sarcastically. "Just no armor." **(1)**

Koehler smirked. "Well, well, well…look what we got hear, Twiggy. _Captain _Jack Sparrow, and some wench." He spat.

"Last time I saw you," Twig continued, "you were all alone, on a God-forsaken island, shrinking into the distance." He grinned at Koehler. "His fortunes ain't improved much."

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen," Jack retorted. "The deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers."

Koehler reached through the bars and grabbed Jack's neck. The moonlight turned his hand all bony. "So there is a curse," Jack murmured. "That's interesting."

"You know nothing of hell," Koehler hissed. He let go, and the pirates left.

Jack looked at the bone he was still holding. "That's very interesting."

"Disturbing, but interesting," I added.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **Does an armory hold armor?

Silverstar: I'm sure everyone here knows Toby's "talent." Expect some MxJ fluff later on. R&R!


	7. Parley and Leverage and Ships, Oh My!

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Next chapter ready to go! If you people really want to find out about Toby, check Wolfen-Ways' profile. Otherwise, wait ye bloody turn!

**spirochick39: **You will, don't worry! Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing!

**jennfire: **So then why didn't they call it a weaponry?! Thanks for reviewing!

**DxS Phreak: **There'll probably be some cute moments on the island. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Wolfen-Ways owns Toby. STOP FOLLOWING ME!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Seven: Parley and Leverage and Ships, Oh My!

**(Toby's POV)**

So as it turns out, the long boat had held Pintel, Ragetti, and some rich-looking girl. I ducked into the shadow of the mast and watched as she looked around in fear. For a second, our eyes locked; I smirked and she looked away.

Bo'sun, Barbossa's first mate, walked over to them. "I didn't know we was takin'on captives," he said.

"She's invoked the right of parley with Captain Barbossa," Pintel explained. How would some hoity-toity princess know about pirate code? **(1)**

The girl stepped forward. "I'm here to negotiate –"

Bo'sun slapped her. "You'll speak when spoken to!"

I grinned as Barbossa snuck up on him and grabbed his wrist. "And _ye'll_ not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley."

"Aye, sir," Bo'sun said after a moment.

Barbossa turned to the girl. "Apologies miss."

"Captain Barbossa," she began. "I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal." I laughed.

"There be a lot of long words in there, miss; we're naught but humble pirates!" Barbossa laughed. "What is it that you want?"

"I want you to leave and never return."

This time, everyone laughed.

Barbossa pretended to think about it. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." Silence.

"He means no!" I called.

"Thank you Toby," Barbossa said, smirking. I bowed extravagantly, and the crew laughed again.

"Very well," the girl said after a moment. She pulled something out of her nightdress, walked to the edge of the ship, and held it over the edge. "I'll drop it!"

A flash of cannon fire from the port revealed…the gold piece attached to a long chain! They turned it into a bloody necklace! I felt my skin grow sweaty. _"We cannot let her drop the last piece of Aztec Gold!"_ I thought.

Barbossa, however, kept his cool. "Me holds are bursting with swag; that bit of shine matters to us?" The crew laughed weakly. "Why?"

"It's what you've been searching for," the girl said uncertainly. "I recognize this ship, I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England."

"Did you, now?" Barbossa mocked.

"Fine," the girl answered after a moment. "Well, I suppose if it is worthless, then there's no pint in me keeping it." With that, she let the chain drop.

"No!" we all shouted and lunged forward. I let out the breath I'd been holding in when I saw she had only let go for an instant, and was still holding the chain.

Barbossa chuckled. "You have a name, missy?"

"Elizabeth…Turner," the girl answered. "I'm a maid in the governor's household."

Barbossa looked at the rest of us. "Miss _Turner_," he repeated. I felt my eyes widen.

"Bootstrap," whispered Pintel.

"So," I called out in a would-be casual voice. "How would a lowly maid own a medallion like that? Perhaps a gift from your mother? Your _father_, maybe?"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean," Elizabeth answered slowly.

Barbossa nodded. "Very well, you'll hand it over and we'll put your town to our rudder, and ne'er return." Elizabeth handed the medallion to Barbossa, who handed it to his monkey, who scampered off.

"Our bargain?" Elizabeth reminded. Barbossa nodded at Bo'sun and walked off. Bo'sun started shouting orders to set sail. "Wait!" Elizabeth called, chasing after Barbossa. "You have to take me to shore! According to the Code –"

Barbossa turned around. "First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I must do nothing. Secondly, you must be a pirate for the Pirate's Code to apply and you're not, and thirdly, the code is more what you'd call _guidelines_ then actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!"

I smiled. No one, not a maid, nor a princess, nor even a werewolf, can escape Barbossa's loopholes. **(2)**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV) **

I suppose after the encounter with Twigg and Koehler, I fell asleep. When I next opened my eyes, sunlight streamed through the window and the hole, and Jack was using the bone to try and break the lock.

"Morning, luv!" he said cheerfully.

"Morning," I answered, stretching. I watched him for a bit and said, "If you plan to get us out like that, you're wasting your time."

Jack threw down the bone in frustration. "Well, perhaps then you could conjure up a little pixie to let us go!"

I gave him a look. He gave me one right back. Eventually, he broke down. "Uh…sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

Jack winced. "Didn't mean to yell, luv. So, do you know how we get out?"

I smiled and lay down on my stomach. "Our ticket out of here will come in three…two…one…"

The door opened. Jack grinned at me, and lay down on his back. I gave him an "I-told-you-so" look.

Will walked up to our cell. "You! Sparrow, Anderson!"

"Aye?"

"Whassup, William?"

Will stared at me. "How do you know my –"

"She knows things," Jack explained.

Will blinked in confusion, but continued. "You are familiar with that ship, the Black Pearl?"

Jack smiled. "We've heard of it."

"Where does it make berth?"

"Where does it make berth?!" Jack echoed. "Have you not heard the stories?"

"Apparently not," I told him. "No matter, I'll explain. You see, Mister Eunuch, Captain Barbossa and his little supernatural crew sail from an island called Isla de Muerta. Here's the bad news: you can't find it unless you already know where it is."

I don't think Will understood a word of that. "The ship's real enough; therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"

"Why ask us?" Jack said, examining his nails.

"Because you're pirates," Will said impatiently.

"And you're thinking of turning pirate yourself, are you?"

Will clutched the bars. "Never."

"So…" I said, waving my hand in a go-on motion.

Will hesitated. "They took Miss Swann."

"Oh, so it is that you've found a girl!" Jack said, sitting up. "I see. Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue, and so win fair lady's heart, you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

"I can get you out of here."

"How's that? The key's run off."

"I helped build these cells," Will explained. "These are half-pin barrel hinges."

"Um, what?" I asked. No one payed attention.

"And with the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free!" Will finished.

"What's your name?" Jack asked.

"Will Turner."

Jack paused. "That'll be short for William, I imagine. Good strong name. No doubt named for your father, aye?"

"Yes," Will said suspiciously.

"Uh-huh. Well Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring us from this cell, I swear on pain of death we shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Right Mary?"

"Aye," I answered. "So, we got a deal?"

"Agreed," Will said, shaking my hand and Jack's.

"Agreed!"

"Agreed. Get us out."

Will grabbed a nearby bench and used it to pull the door off its hinges. "Hurry, someone will have heard that."

"Not without my effects!" Jack said, grabbing his stuff.

Will looked at the pistol. "Why bother with that? You could've escaped if you'd killed me before, but you weren't willing to use it."

"Are you advising me that was a mistake?" Jack asked, pointing the pistol at him.

"Jack only has one shot," I explained. "So he's waiting for the opportune moment. That wasn't it."

"Nor is this," Jack added, putting the pistol back on the pile of stuff.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Minutes later, Jack, Will, and I snuck down to the beach next to the docks. "We're going to steal a ship," Will muttered. "That ship?" He pointed to the Interceptor.

"_Commandeer_," Jack corrected. "We're going to commandeer _that_ ship." He pointed to the Dauntless.

"Nautical term," I told Will.

Jack turned to us. "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going: this girl…how far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her!"

"Oh, good. No worries, then." Jack looked at me. "What about you, Mary?"

I smiled. "Jack, I promised I'd help you get back your ship. I never go back on a promise. As for the death part, there's no better way to die than on the open sea and surrounded by friends."

"Well said." Jack said, smiling. Will looked confused, but we both ignored him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I'll never understand how this works," I muttered, looking at the water just below my chin. Jack, Will and I were under the overturned boat. Maybe I should've payed more attention in science class…

"This is either madness or brilliance," Will muttered.

"Amazing how often those two traits coincide," Jack retorted.

Just then, Will got his foot stuck in a lobster trap. I laughed. "Looks like I'll have to be the sidekick with brains, huh Jack?"

Jack turned around and smiled.

After another few minutes, Jack was helping me climb up aboard the Dauntless. We pulled out our swords and jumped down before the crew.

"Everyone remain calm!" Jack shouted. "We are taking over the ship!"

"Aye! Avast!" Will said, trying to sound like a pirate. The crew laughed.

I slapped my forehead. "Remind me later to teach you how to talk like a pirate."

"This ship cannot be crewed by two men and a _girl_," Gillette scoffed. "You'll never make it out of the bay!"

"What's wrong with girls?" I asked, pointing my sword at him.

"Son," Jack said, pulling out his pistol. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

While Jack disabled the rudder system, I watched Gillette try to contact Norrington. I laughed. "Amazing how stupid civilized men can be."

"Ain't that the truth!" Jack called from the wheel.

Minutes later, Will tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed to the vastly approaching Interceptor. I nodded and raced over to the predetermined hiding place: behind several huge barrels. Moments later, Jack and Will joined me. And not a moment too soon; Norrington and his crew were boarding the ship.

Jack, Will, and I snuck over to where Will had been loosening some ropes. We stopped and stared – Will had only had enough time to prepare two ropes!

I opened my mouth to snap at Will when I felt an arm around my waist. I blushed as Jack whispered, "Hold tight, luv." I nodded, and slowly put my arms around him.

I barely noticed as we boarded the Interceptor. Captain Jack Sparrow had just practically carried me on board the ship! OH MY GOD! If Rebecca ever finds out, she'll kill me out of envy. And Jack – he did it willingly, too!

Jack's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. "Thank you, Commodore, for helping us get ready to make way! We would've had a hard time of it by ourselves!"

"Too bad, Jimmy!" I called, waving. "Looks like _these_ pirates won't be exposed to any short drop and sudden stop!" At least, not yet.

Norrington's face turned red with anger. I turned back to Jack and Will. "I rest my case. Civilized, but incredibly stupid. This is why pirates always win!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1)** I know, right?

**(2)** Spoiler alert.

Silverstar: We now have six days left till AWE. YAY! R&R!


	8. Picking Up a Crew in Tortuga

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Chapter 8 up! A little hint about Toby in here!

**WolfbainKohaku: **Glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I own my OC, Wolfen-Ways owns her OC, Disney owns many, many OCs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Eight: Picking Up a Crew in Tortuga

**(Mary's POV)**

I wasn't really in the mood to witness the argument between Will and Jack, so I went down into the hold to find some food. I couldn't _remember_ the last time I had eaten. After looking around for about ten minutes, I found a box with several loaves of bread inside. I grabbed three and made my way to the deck.

Once outside, I was met by a very angry looking Will. I offered him a piece of bread, which he snatched bitterly and stormed to the hold.

I turned to Jack. "What's got his shorts in a bunch?"

"Just finding out about his lineage, as it were."

"Oh, you mean the whole Bootstrap-the-pirate thing?"

"One of these days, I'll get used to your bloody ability, but not today."

I handed Jack his piece of bread, and started gratefully eating mine. It wasn't bad, but it was a bit hard. "So," I said after a bit. "When will we get to Tortuga?"

"By nightfall." I nodded slowly and stared into my half-eaten bread. Tortuga…Tom and Fitch were there, along with hundreds more like them. I swallowed, feeling a bit scared. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, luv," Jack said soothingly. "We have an accord, remember? I'm not gonna let anyone even _look_ at you."

I smiled, reassured. "Thanks, Jack."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tortuga was just as dark, damp, and rather smelly as I remember. Actually, this time, it smelled worse. Not to mention the gunshots and drunken singing.

"More importantly," Jack said happily, "it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?"

I coughed. That was easy for him to say. "Yeah, but proliferous bouquet of _what_, exactly?"

Jack grabbed a walking stick from a guy lying in the street. "What do you think?" he asked Will.

"It'll linger."

"I'll tell you, mates," Jack said, continuing with his Tortuga speech, "If every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." At this point, Jack spotted Scarlett. "Scarlett!" he called, and strode over. She slapped him. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack said. He turned around to see Prostitute #2. "Giselle!"

Giselle smiled and jerked her head towards Scarlett. "Who was she?"

"What?" Jack got slapped again. "I _may_ have deserved that," he admitted.

"You know, I can actually think of someone who might feel a tad unwanted," I said sweetly. Will laughed and Jack made a face. He's such a Jiraiya. **(1)**

Once Jack had recovered, we started walking towards the pig sty. "We should escape this wretched pit as soon as possible," Jack announced, glaring at two drunk guys who had been watching me. I smiled gratefully as they lurched off.

"With a crew?" Will asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No duh."

"It just so happens," Jack said, "that you two know the man who knows the man who knows the finest sailors in all of Tortuga."

I looked to see where a bunch of guys were lowering a high-class man into a well. **(2) **"That opens up a wide range of options," I said simply.

Once inside, Jack found three buckets of water. We each took one, and I pointed out Gibbs among the pigs. Jack threw the contents of his bucket onto him.

"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" Gibbs shouted. He saw who we were and laughed. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping…it's bad luck."

"Ah, fortunately, I know how to counter it," Jack replied. "The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

It took a second for that to sink in. "Aye," Gibbs said finally. "That'll about do it!"

I nodded at Will, and we both emptied our buckets on Gibbs.

"Blast, I'm already awake!" Gibbs shouted.

"That was for the smell," Will explained.

"As if this whole town doesn't stink to high heaven already," I muttered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few minutes later, Will and I were stationed in the Faithful Bride. Jack walked by with the drinks. "Keep a sharp eye," he said to us before walking back to the table. I could tell Jack was doing his little cup trick. "Just the one," he warned after a moment.

"Best make it last, then," Gibbs surrendered. "Now…what's the nature o' this venture o' yourn?"

Jack hesitated. "I'm going after the Black Pearl."

Gibbs started choking. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm gonna take it." Jack continued.

When Gibbs recovered, he shook his head. "Jack…it's a fool's errand. You know better than me the stories of the Black Pearl."

"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to." Jack reasoned. "All I need is a crew."

Gibbs shook his head again. "From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one."

"Well then, I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool!"

"Prove me wrong! What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship you?"

Jack paused. "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage."

Suddenly, I felt a cold pit enter in my stomach. Jack was going to trade Will for a ship! _"No, he's not," _I thought. _"It's just a plan into getting the Pearl back. But even if he wasn't, I already knew it. Why am I so freaked out?!"_

"I need air," I muttered. Will, looking disturbed, nodded absentmindedly.

Outside, it was a little easier to think. _"What's happening to me? I know everything about the movie! I was never this freaked out at home! Wait…maybe…because I actually now the characters now, and they know me…maybe…I feel differently about them! That must be it!" _That was why I was more affected by what happened in the movie! Will was like my older (but very naïve) brother, Norrington was like Celia's dad (a very strict policeman), Barbossa would most likely be like the bully down the street, and Jack…oh God, and Jack…what had been simple fangirlism had evolved into something deeper and more complex.

I was broken out of my realization by a hand on my shoulder. "Feeling all right, luv?" Jack asked. He looked genuinely worried.

I smiled. "Yeah, just…just needed some air."

Jack still looked worried. "Uh-huh…well, Mary, Gibbs is going to find us a crew, and hopefully by morning, we'll set sail from this hellhole."

"One can only hope," I replied.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Toby's POV)**

The night after Elizabeth's arrival, my wolfish instincts started kicking in. My senses, along with my bloodlust, became stronger. The crew would look at me in fear, even though it was several days before the full moon.

I was prowling the deck when I heard some high-pitched giggling. Looking over to the small cabin where Elizabeth was staying, I saw Pintel and Ragetti peering into a knothole. Chuckling, I was about to continue my stroll when I heard a dull clunk, followed by a pop and the traditional "Me eye!" Ragetti was on his knees, crawling after his eye.

I stopped with my boot and allowed Ragetti to pick it up. "You know," I said casually, "I could easily nail that in place for you. It'll save you a lot of trouble."

Ragetti gulped. "N-no thanks, Toby."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself." I continued on my way.

About fifteen minutes later, the clouds rolled away from the moon, revealing our curse. "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest," I sung quietly, lowering the sails to catch the wind. "Yo ho ho, and a bottle of –"

I was suddenly interrupted by a loud scream. And right in the middle of my favorite part, too. **(3)**

I turned to see Elizabeth, wearing a gorgeous black dress, running all over the ship, screaming her freaking head off. She stopped in front of me, frozen with fear. I smirked. "Good evening, miss. Everything well?"

Elizabeth gave the loudest scream yet and raced off. I laughed. "That's what I thought. Now, where was I?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV)**

"Feast your eyes, Cap'n," Gibbs said grandly. About a dozen men stood in front of us on the docks. "All of them faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot," Gibbs added quietly.

Jack and I observed the crew. They looked pretty pirate-y to me, and I knew they would get us to Isla de Muerta. Will, however, was skeptical. "So this is your able-bodied crew?" Jack glared at him.

"Will, you're a blacksmith, not a sailor," I said impatiently. "Stick with what you know. Jack knows what he's doing."

Jack pointed at Cotton. "You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs said promptly.

"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"

I laughed. "I'll bet _that_ took practice! It took me three days to memorize that!"

Everyone stared at me. I waved my hand in a carry-on motion. Jack turned back to Cotton. "Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!"

"Uh, he's a mute, sir," Gibbs cut in. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out. So, he trained the parrot to talk for him." Cotton stuck out his nonexistent tongue. Jack, disgusted, did as well.

"But, if he can't talk," I said, "then how could he teach –"

"No one's yet figured how," Gibbs said weakly.

"Oh."

Jack walked to the side slightly. "Mr. Cotton's…parrot…same question."

"RAWK! Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!"

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"Mostly we figure that means 'yes'," Gibbs explained.

"Of course it does!" Jack added. He turned to Will. "Satisfied?"

Will thought for a moment. "Well…you've proved they're mad."

"Aren't we all?" I pointed out.

"Not me."

"Yet." Will looked scared.

"And what's the benefit for us?" someone called out. Jack slowly walked over to where Anamaria was standing and removed her hat.

"Anamaria," he said warmly. She slapped him.

"That's gonna leave a mark," I said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either?" Will asked cynically.

Jack winced. "No, that one I deserved."

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

"You stole my boat!" Anamaria accused.

"It was her idea!" Jack said, pointing to me.

My jaw dropped. "No it wasn't! Why would I want to steal a boat?" I didn't mention the fact that I had thought of taking one.

Anamaria glared. "Stop lying, Jack."

"Actually, I –" Again with the slapping. "Borrowed! Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back!"

"BUT YOU DIDN'T!"

"You'll get another one!" Jack promised.

"I will," Anamaria growled.

"A better one!" Will cut in.

"A better one!" Jack agreed.

"That one!" I finished, pointing to the Interceptor.

"_That one_?!" Jack snarled, glaring at me.

I held fast. "If you're so attached to it," I said so only he could hear, "I'm sure Anamaria would be happy to take the Pearl."

Jack stared at me for a long moment, and then turned back to the crew, pointing to the Interceptor. "Aye; that one! What say you?"

"AYE!" everyone shouted, and made their way on board.

"No, no, no, no, no," Gibbs said fearfully. "It's frightful bad luck to have a woman on board. It's bad enough that you have this girl."

I glared at him, but before I could answer, Jack looked up at the sky and said, "It'd be far worse not to have them."

Gibbs remained stubborn. "Why the girl? She'd never be able to do as much work as the men, not to mention fighting!"

"Hello, I'm still here!" I snarled.

Jack sighed. "Mr. Gibbs, is it your place to decide who is on my crew?"

"No, sir."

"Then don't. And to answer your question, Mary and I have an accord, the terms of which involve reclaiming my ship. As for fighting, she's quicker than most men, and has quite a head on her shoulders, surprisingly." Jack walked away, ending the conversation.

I glared at Gibbs. "One day, those superstitions will leave you with nothing but stumps where your arms used to be." Gibbs gulped and nodded. I started walking off, but before I did, I took a leaf out of Anamaria's book. **SLAP!**

I caught up to Jack. "Thanks. To tell the truth, I wouldn't have been surprised if you left me here."

"Nonsense!" Jack said. "I meant every word I said, along with this: I consider you the best pirate on my crew."

Aw, man. Now he's making me blush.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **Well, he is!

**(2) **How did that guy get there?

**(3) **Of course it is! Who doesn't like rum?

Silverstar: Jack got slapped four times in one chapter! A new record! And Gibbs got slapped too! What next? R&R!


	9. Landing on Isla de Muerta

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Chapter 9 up! AWE was so awesome!

Elizabeth: BARBOSSA! MARRI-AGE!

Barbossa: _(sword fighting with one of Davy Jones' crew) _I'M A LITTLE BUSY AT THE MOMENT!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Thanks for reviewing!

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood: **Thanks for reviewing!

**J. B. Duenweg: **Thanks for reviewing!

**WolfbainKohaku: **Poor guy. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Toby, who belongs to Wolfen-Ways.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Nine: Landing on Isla de Muerta

**(Mary's POV)**

That night, the storm broke out. Note to future pirates: a storm on a pirate ship is NOT as fun as it looks, particularly if, like me, you need to prove yourself to your fellow crewmates. Basically, my entire night was spent running around the deck, doing whatever I was needed to do.

"How can we sail to an island nobody can find, with a compass that doesn't work?" I heard Will call.

"Aye, the compass doesn't point North," Gibbs agreed. "But we're not trying to _find _North, are we?" He waved me over. "Tell the Captain that we need to drop canvas!"

"What?" I shouted as the wind picked up.

"TELL THE CAPTAIN WE NEED TO DROP CANVAS!"

"AYE, GIBBS!"

I raced across the deck, skirting crew members. I had just made it to the stairs when I tripped on the slippery deck.

"BUGGER! You'd think that a guy as obsessive as Norrington would make it so none of his officers would slip and embarrass him!"

"Y'ALL RIGHT, LUV?" Jack called over the wind.

"FINE!" I shouted back. "WE NEED TO DROP CANVAS _NOW_!"

"SHE CAN HOLD A BIT LONGER!"

"WHAT ARE YOU SO BLOODY HAPPY ABOUT?"

"WE'RE CATCHING UP!" Jack answered smirking.

"OH, RIGHT! HUZZAH FOR CATCHING UP!"

I started back down the steps, but before I got very far, I heard Jack call out again. "MARY!"

"YEAH?"

"BE CAREFUL!"

"NO WORRIES!" I answered, smirking. "I WON'T GET HURT; I'M MARY ANDERSON, SAAVY?" Jack roared with laughter. Only he can laugh in the middle of a close relative of Katrina.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Toby's POV)**

Thank God we made it to Isla de Muerta; it was only a few more days until the full moon, and the crew is scared enough as it is. I waited on deck while Pintel, Ragetti, Twigg, and Koehler fetched Elizabeth. Ragetti started chanting as Barbossa put the medallion on her. I jabbed him in the arm. "Not yet!" I hissed. Ragetti gulped and nodded.

Within minutes, we were ashore and leading Elizabeth to our little storage room. I breathed deeply, savoring the gold. We'd been holding this for a decade, and once we were freed, we could spend it. I smirked at Elizabeth, who paled. All we needed was the girl.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV)**

"Dead men tell no tales," Cotton's parrot squawked.

"I say again: that was never proven. I can name ten dead guys who can still tell tales."

"Who?" Jack challenged.

I thought for a second. "Barbossa, Pintel, Ragetti, Twigg, Koehler, Jacoby, Bootstrap, Davy Jones, Bo'sun, and Maccus. Ha!"

Jack sighed. "You're good."

"The very best!"

Gibbs peered out over the water. "Puts a chill in the bones, how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage."

I stared at him. "Gibbs, why would an honest sailor be anywhere _near_ here?"

"Good point," Gibbs admitted.

"How is it that Jack came by that compass?" Will asked after a moment.

Gibbs pulled out his personal rum supply. "Not much is known about Jack Sparrow fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That be before I met him, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl."

"What?" Will asked.

"Nice going, Gibbs," I muttered.

"He failed to mention that," Will said.

"Of course he did; he keeps things a bit secretive these days." I told him.

"A hard learned lesson it was," Gibbs agreed. "See, three days out on the venture, the first mate comes to him and says everything's in equal share. That should include the location of the treasure, too. So, Jack gives up the bearings. That night, there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him t die, but not before he'd gone mad from the heat."

"Oh," Will said. "So that's the reason for all the…" He did a weird lunging motion.

I chuckled. "Trust me, Will, he was…" I copied his motion, "…long before that. To clarify: when a pirate is marooned, all he gets is a pistol with one shot. Can you hunt with that? Can you send a rescue signal? Not likely. So, the pistol would be used for…"

Will winced. I nodded grimly.

"But Jack," Gibbs cut in. "He escaped the island, and he still has that single shot. Oh, he won't use it, though, save on one man…his mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa."

I rolled my eyes. "Duh."

"How did Jack get off the island?" Will asked.

Gibbs smiled. "Well, I'll tell ye: he waded out into the shallows and he waited there for three days and three nights, till all matter of sea creatures 'came acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple o' sea turtles, lashed them together, and made a raft."

Will stared at him disbelievingly. "He roped a couple of sea turtles?"

"Aye, sea turtles."

"You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?" I asked. Gibbs shrugged.

"What did he use for rope?" Will asked.

Gibbs made an "I-have-no-clue" face and I cleared my throat. At this point, we noticed Jack. "Human hair," he told us. "From my back."

I shuddered. "I _so_ didn't need to hear that."

"Sorry, luv. Let go of the anchor! Young Mr. Turner, Miss Anderson, and I are to go ashore."

"Captain, what if the worst should happen?" Gibbs asked.

"Keep to the Code."

"Aye, the Code."

"Stupid Code," I muttered. Things would be so much easier without it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few minutes later, we were in the boat a good distance away from the Black Pearl. Jack was peering at the ship through his spyglass.

"Do you see her?" Will asked hopefully.

"No."

"Where is she?"

"It's begun," Jack and I said at the same time.

Once we had made it inside the cave, I maneuvered around the men and lit the lantern, lighting our path.

"What code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?" Will asked.

"Pirate's Code," Jack explained. "Any man that falls behind, is left behind."

"Harsh," I said. "But then again, I guess I see their point. They can't afford to wait around in a dangerous area."

"No heroes amongst thieves, eh?" Will asked cynically.

"You know," Jack said, "for someone who has such a bleak outlook on pirates, you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man and young woman from jail, commandeered a ship of the fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga…" We all peered over the edge of the boat at the gold coins. "…and you're completely obsessed with treasure."

"That's not true," Will argued as we stepped out of the boat and behind the rocks. "I am not obsessed with treasure!"

Jack looked at him. "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

"Words of wisdom out of a pirate's mouth," I noted. "The world has officially gone crazy."

Jack opened his mouth to reply when Barbossa started talking. "Gentlemen, the time has come! Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near an end!" Suddenly, I noticed an unfamiliar face: a boy about thirteen standing a little ways away from the group. He was facing me, so I could easily see his emerald eyes. He wore a scarlet sleeveless T-shirt, black pants, and boots. A black bandana covered his head, but I could still see bits of his brown hair. His sword and pistol were strapped to his back by a belt similar to Barbossa's. _"That's weird," _I thought. _"Never noticed him before."_

"Elizabeth," murmured Will.

"For ten years, we've been tested and tried, and each man jack of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over…and a hundred times again! Punished we were, the lot of us, disproportionate to our crime!"

"You can say that again!" The new guy yelled.

"Here it is!" Barbossa shouted, kicking away the lid from the treasure chest. I saw Elizabeth's mouth open. "The cursed treasure of Cortes himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned, save for this!" He pointed at the medallion.

"Jack!" Will said impatiently.

"Not yet. We wait for the opportune moment."

"Eight-hundred eighty-one we found, but despaired of ever finding the last…"

"He's laying it on a little thick now," I muttered. Jack nodded in agreement.

"When's that?" Will asked Jack as he (Jack) started walking away. "When it's of greatest profit to you?"

Jack turned around. "May I ask you something? Have Mary or myself ever give you reason not to trust us?"

"Not that I recall," I said. "Will, I beg of you, stay here, and for the love of Pete, _don't_ do anything stupid!" Before Will could answer, Jack and I walked off.

"Who's Pete?" he muttered.

"No one, it's…hey, what're you doing!?"

Jack pushed me back towards the rocks. "This is too dangerous, luv; I won't have you getting hurt."

I blinked. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm not helpless. I can chop one of these guys into little pieces, curse or no curse. Besides, I believe this falls into the helping-you-get-your-ship-back category."

"Well, I see I can't stop you, but _be careful_!"

I nodded and we continued on. I winced as Jack fell to the floor, knocked out by Will's oar.

"Sorry Jack; I'm not gonna be your leverage."

"Bloody whelp!" I hissed as he snuck off. Remembering the First-Aid unit in Health class, I elevated Jack's legs, propped them on a rock, and tilted his head back, clearing his airway. His breathing and circulation were fine. **(1) **There was nothing more I could do now but wait for him to wake up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Toby's POV)**

"Begun by blood, by blood undone!" Barbossa called, brandishing his knife. He lightly cut Elizabeth's hand, advising her to "waste not." I smiled and closed my eyes as the coin dropped into the chest.

After a minute of no reaction, I called, "Well?"

"Did it work?" Koehler added.

"I don't feel no different," Ragetti admitted.

"How do we tell?" Pintel asked. Barbossa rolled his eyes, cocked his pistol, and shot. All eyes were on the hole in Pintel's chest.

"You're not dead!" Koehler said obviously.

"No," Pintel said, relieved. He stared at Barbossa. "He shot me!"

"Oh, shut it, you baby," I called. I was met with a mixture of angry mutterings and frightened ones.

"It didn't work!" Ragetti moaned.

"The curse is still upon us!" Twigg shouted.

Barbossa turned to Elizabeth. "You, maid, your father. What was his name? _Was your father William Turner_?"

"No."

"Then where's his child?" Barbossa yelled. "The child who sailed from England eight years ago? The child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner? Where?" Elizabeth said nothing. Barbossa slapped her, sending her sliding down a hill of gold. The medallion soon joined her. I couldn't believe it – all that for nothing!

"You two," Bo'sun snarled, pointing at Pintel and Ragetti. "You brought us the wrong person!" We all rounded on them.

"No!" Pintel objected. "She had the medallion; she's of proper age!"

"She said her name was Turner," Ragetti added.

I sighed. "She was obviously lying, then."

"You brought us here for nothing!" Twigg shouted accusingly at Barbossa.

"I won't take questioning or second guesses, not from the likes o' you, Master Twigg!" Barbossa retorted.

"Who's to blame him?" Koehler called. "Every decision you made has sent us from bad to worse!" There were shouts of agreement.

"It was you who sent Bootstrap to the depths!" someone else added added.

"And it's you brought us here in the first place!" Bo'sun pointed out, he and the others brandishing their swords.

Barbossa pulled out his sword, too. "If any coward dare challenge me, let him speak!"

I sighed and walked over between Barbossa and the crew. Barbossa cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Toby?"

"Fellow pirates," I began. "Do you honestly think things would've been different if the Captain _wasn't_ the Captain?"

"Keep quiet, Toby!" Someone shouted. "We picked you up after we marooned Sparrow, and even then, you were only three years old!"

I rolled my eyes. "Aye, but I still realize that even if Sparrow was still here, we would still be cursed. There's nothing we can do except work to free ourselves, as we've been doing for ten years."

The crew murmured agreement and started sheathing their swords. Suddenly, the monkey started going crazy. Barbossa looked behind him where Elizabeth had fallen. "The medallion!" he shouted. "She's taken it! Get after her, ye feckless pack of ingrates!"

I started to race off, but stopped and looked back at Barbossa. He gave a curt nod of thanks. I returned the nod and raced off to find the medallion. _"I've never known a free life," _I thought. _"But I intend to have one, and no maid's gonna stop me!"_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV)**

It took a minute for me to process all this info on the new guy. His name was Toby, thirteen years of age, picked up by Barbossa's crew before Isla de Muerta…and for some reason, the crew seemed a bit scared of him.

I was trying to sort out why when Jack gave a soft moan. "Jack," I whispered. "Are you okay?"

Jack rubbed the bump on his head. "I've felt better." He blinked in confusion. "My feet are on a rock."

"Aye."

"Why are my feet on a rock?"

I was starting to feel a bit embarrassed now. "Leg elevation has been proven to help someone if they are unconscious. All the blood rushes to their head."

"And you know this how?"

"I…learned it from a friend." I remembered that only high-society members went to school, and I didn't want Jack to know any more than he does. For now, at least.

Jack smiled warmly and slowly sat up. "Yet another of the many reasons why I should keep you on my crew."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jack. You're not flirting with me, are you?" I said, pretending to be serious.

Jack made a face of mock-surprise. "_Moi_? Never. It was the honest truth, luv."

"Oh, I know that; I was just wondering if your words contained a hint of flirtatiousness."

Jack smiled slyly. "Maybe a little."

I blushed. "All right, enough games; Will's got Elizabeth, and they're heading back to the Interceptor without us. Can you walk?"

Jack slowly stood and took a few steps. "Yep."

"Good." We made our way down to the boats. Of course, the pirates made it first.

"You?" Ragetti said disbelievingly.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Pintel said.

"Am I not?"

Toby pushed his way to the front. Smirking, he said sarcastically, "You must be Captain Sparrow. Toby Dicey. A true pleasure." He spotted me. I winced and tried to walk away. But it was too late. "And who is your charming lady friend?"

The pirates started whistling and making other disturbing noises. One of Barbossa's lines came back to me: "…and all the pleasurable company in the world couldn't slake our lust." These guys were so desperate, they'd take even me! Of course, it didn't help that I was rather…physically mature.

Jack, once again, came to my rescue. "Oh, she's a friend of mine. Nothing to get all excited about."

The pirates seemed to contradict him. "Screw it," I whispered. "They can't be persuaded to leave me alone."

Jack nodded and we started going back they way we came, but we were stopped by the other group. The first group pulled out their guns and swords.

Jack thought, trying to remember the word that would save us. "Palulay...palu-li-la-la-lulu..."

I snorted. "Jack, don't hurt yourself."

He ignored me. "Parlili…parsnip…parsley…partner…partner…"

"Parley?" Ragetti corrected.

Jack grinned. "That's the one! Parley! _Parley_!"

"Parley?" Pintel hissed at his partner. "_Damn _to the depths whatever muttonhead thought of parley!"

"The French," Jack told them. "Latin-based, of course."

"Hey guys," I said, trying not to laugh. "Did you know that the French invented mayonnaise?"

"I like mayonnaise!" Pintel said to Toby.

Jack nodded. "A shame about the French, really."

"Aye, they're all obsessed with raisins," I added.

"Humiliated grapes, really. Think about it…"

"Don't know," Pintel said after a moment.

I rolled my eyes. "Man, you guys are slow."

"Terrific singers, the French. Eunuchs, all of them."

"That's not right," Toby muttered.

"I used to date a eunuch," Pintel said sadly.

Jack and I made an O.O face. "Oh my God," I muttered.

"I'll get me coat," Jack said, slightly disgusted.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Soon, we were both under guard, and Barbossa was heading our way. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused to sweep his gaze up and down my person. I sighed deeply. "Doesn't anyone just say hello?!"

Barbossa gave an admittedly charming smile. "My apologies, miss. Your name, if you'd be so kind?"

"Mary Anderson."

"Quite the beautiful name." He chuckled. "Fitting, of course."

"For goodness' sakes, people, I'm only sixteen!"

"Aye, and the most valuable treasure here!" someone called.

Jeez, 18th century men are a bunch of pervs.

Barbossa finally turned to Jack. "How the blazes did you get off that island?"

"When you marooned me on that God-forsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate; I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Barbossa smirked. "Ah, well I won't be makin' that mistake again. Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him." The men cocked their guns, and Barbossa led me away. I struggled, trying to seriously hurt him, but then I remembered that they couldn't feel anything. Instead, I glared, but that only got me a seductive and disturbing smile.

"The girls blood didn't work, did it?"

Barbossa paused. "Hold your fire!" He let go of my hand and walked back to Jack. "You know whose blood we need."

Jack grinned. "I know whose blood you need."

"Here's the part where you start listening to him again," I said brightly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **These are all actual things you should do.

Silverstar: Phew! That took a grand total of twelve pages. R&R!


	10. A Good Old Fashioned Pirate Battle

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Yikes! I've never got so many reviews in one sitting! Give yourselves a hand, you guys!

**Wolfen-Ways: **You know, 'Will Turner's Locker' has a really nice ring to it. Thanks for reviewing!

**J. B. Duenweg: **I've got no other way to explain it than when I explained it before. Thanks for reviewing!

**HoodiesRsoft: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Captain's Wench: **If you look on the special features on the COTBP DVD (like "Diary of a Pirate") you'll see that Pintel is the short one and Ragetti has the wooden eye. Also, later in the movie, the one nearest to the docks (the one Jack said he would commandeer) is the Dauntless, and the one further away is the Interceptor. During the Murtogg and Mullroy bit, there is one close ship and one farther ship. I just stuck with the knowledge of the later scene. Could be wrong, though…Thanks for reviewing!

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood: **He actually says that in the deleted scenes…_(shudders)_ Thanks for reviewing!

**DxS Phreak: **Good! That part was there for a laugh.Thanks for reviewing!

**LilyBilly: **Hey, if Mary doesn't have him, HE'S MINE!...I wish. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I only own Mary.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Ten: A Good Old Fashioned Pirate Battle

A little later that morning, Barbossa, Jack and I were in Barbossa's cabin discussing negotiations. "So," Barbossa said cynically. "You expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need, and watch you sail away in my ship?"

"No, of course not!" I said in mock surprise.

"She's right," Jack added. "We expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching us sail away in _my_ ship, and then we'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?"

"But that still leaves us the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need."

"Time and tide," I said simply.

Jack moved to where the bowl of apples was resting on the table. **(1) **He started sorting through them, trying to find one he liked."Of the three of us, Mary and I are the only ones who haven't committed mutiny, therefore our words are the ones we'll be trusting." He found an apple he liked, and then offered one to Barbossa. Barbossa gave him a look. Jack shrugged and offered it to me. I looked quickly at Barbossa, who made a go-ahead motion. I nodded and gratefully took the apple. Once again, I couldn't remember my last meal.

"Although," Jack said after a moment, "I suppose I should bee thanking you because in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse same as you!" He took a bite of the apple. "Funny old world, isn't it?" Barbossa nodded stiffly.

Bo'sun made his entrance. "Captain, we're coming up on the Interceptor." We all walked out on deck. Barbossa and Bo'sun went to the helm, while Jack and I observed the crew preparing for battle.

"Jack," I murmured. "You can't honestly say you're going to just sit back and watch your friends get pulverized."

Jack was silent for a second before racing up to the helm. He stood in front of Barbossa's spyglass. "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa." Barbossa lowered the spyglass, a slightly disgusted look on his face. "What say we run up a flag o' truce, I scurry over to the Interceptor, and negotiate the return of your medallion, eh?"

"What say you to that?" I added.

Barbossa smirked. "Now you see, Jack…that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easier to search when they're dead." He turned to Bo'sun. "Lock him in the brig." Bo'sun dragged Jack off to the brig. I followed, tossing both our apples to Barbossa.

He caught them and asked, "And just where are you going?"

"The brig," I answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why? You may stay if you wish." He gave me another seductive smile.

"I know, but I'd rather stick with Jack."

Barbossa had a slightly disappointed look on his face. "Very well." I nodded and walked after Bo'sun, looking back only to see Barbossa throw the apples overboard.

I laughed as I caught up. "Another minute, and Barbossa would've taken a bite out of those apples."

Jack nodded, grinning. "He always had an unhealthy obsession with those."

A few minutes later, Bo'sun locked us in the brig. "Apparently there's a leak," Jack said, noting the six inches of water. I was about to reply when I suddenly felt dizzy. I groaned softly and sunk to the floor. The whole cell seemed to be spinning.

I felt Jack's hand on my shoulder. "Mary, are you all right?"

I tried to answer, but an overwhelming weakness stopped me. I felt Jack's arms snake around me, trying to support me. His touch kept me bound to consciousness. He murmured something in my ear, but I couldn't understand him.

About two minutes later, I started to get some of my strength back. I straightened slowly, groaning. "Mary?" Jack asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," I replied, shakily standing. That had really scared me. "I think the stress is getting to me. Really, don't worry about me. If you want to watch the battle, there's a knothole over there." Jack still looked worried, but went to look.

I was feeling almost normal when I heard the cannon fire. Jack leapt back from the knothole. I ducked as a bunch of forks and Gibbs' rum bottle zoomed overhead. "STOP BLOWIN' HOLES IN MY SHIP!" Jack shouted. I couldn't help but laugh. Jack picked up Gibbs' flask and drained it. He finally noticed the broken door.

"You just noticed that? You really need to pay more attention!"

Jack rolled his eyes and we raced back on deck, him with one eye on me, just in case I had another episode. Thankfully, we made it up to the helm without being noticed. One guy came swinging by on a rope, which Jack snatched, sending him flying.

"Thanks very much," Jack said, wrapped his arm around me, and swung onto the Interceptor (I was a little more prepared this time, but I was still pretty shaky). Once aboard, I pulled out my cutlass and launched myself at the nearest pirate – Twigg. He was strong, but I was fast and clever…not to toot my own horn or anything. I quickly disarmed him and prepared to knock him out, but I was suddenly locked in a tight bear hug. I turned my head to see Koehler binding my hands.

"Oh, come on!" I shouted. "I barely fought! What a bloody rip off!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **Apples are Barbossa's anti-drug.

Silverstar: Sorry about the last chapter, the next one will be nice and long. R&R!


	11. Of Sickness and Rum

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Now for the island chapter. Jack and Mary will get a little closer here!

**LilyBilly: **I just work quickly, I guess. If you want Will, you'll have to take that up with Lizzie. Thanks for reviewing.

**Wolfen-Ways:** That line always cracks me up! Thanks for reviewing!

**DxS Phreak: **Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm just saying that Barbossa is obsessed with apples. Thanks for reviewing!

**Captain's Wench: **You'll find out in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**eternal.waves: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Manson: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Toby.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Eleven: Of Sickness and Rum

**(Mary's POV) **

Before long, Elizabeth, the crew, and I were all tied to the Black Pearl's mast. "Any of you so much as _thinks_ the word 'parley,' I'll have your guts for garters!" Pintel threatened.

I smirked. "Par…" Pintel waved his gun in my face. I shut up, still grinning.

The Interceptor exploded with a terrific BOOM as Elizabeth and I slipped under our bonds. Elizabeth launched herself at Barbossa, thinking that Will was still onboard the Interceptor. "You've got to stop it!" she screeched.

Barbossa turned around and grabbed her. "Welcome back, missy! You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now that you return the favor!" He thrust Elizabeth at a group of lusty pirates.

Toby smirked at me. "You're next."

I returned the smirk. "Not so much."

"What makes you say that?"

"Cue the whelp in three…two…one…"

"BARBOSSA!"

Will stood on the railing, gun out. "Will," Elizabeth breathed.

"That's impossible!" Toby gasped. "No one could survive that explosion!"

"Don't look at me," I said. "The writers always do situations like this, and we never know how the good guy survived."

There was confused silence for about thirty seconds. "She goes free!" Will finally shouted, jumping down.

"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa asked.

"She goes free."

Barbossa looked at him. "You've only got one shot, and we can't die!"

"Don't do anything stupid!" Jack whispered from where Twigg and Koehler were guarding him.

Will jumped back onto the railing and pointed the gun at his jaw. "You can't…I can."

"Like that," Jack whispered. I slapped my forehead.

"Who are you?" Barbossa asked.

Jack pulled himself out of Twigg and Koehler's grasp. He and I stood in front of Barbossa. "No one," Jack answered quickly. "He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's…nephew…twice removed."

"He's a terrific soprano…oh wait, wrong movie. Aw, whatever, he's a eunuch."

"My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner! His blood runs in my veins!"

I glared at Will. "Were you born like this, or are you this stupid on purpose!"

"It's the spitting image of ole Bootstrap Bill, come back to haunt us!" Ragetti called fearfully.

"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger, and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker!" Will threatened.

Barbossa smirked. "Name your terms, Mr. Turner."

"Elizabeth goes free!"

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"

Will thought for a second, observing Jack's frantic pointing at himself. "And Mary! Mary goes free as well!" Collective groans from the pirates and I grinned gratefully at Will. Jack made a so-so motion before pointing to himself again. "And the crew!" Will said finally. "The crew are not to be harmed!"

Barbossa smirked, showing off the fact that dentists didn't exist in this time. "Agreed."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Go on, poppet! Walk the plank!" Pintel urged. Elizabeth stared down at the water, petrified.

I looked at where Will was being tied up. "Nice, eunuch. Real nice."

Will struggled against his captors and glared at Barbossa. "Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!"

"Don't dare impugn me honor, boy! I swore she'd go free, but it was you failed to specify when or where!"

"You know, you overanalyze things _way_ too much!" Honestly, he could be a lawyer.

"Though it does seem a shame we lose something so fine, don't it lads? So I'll be havin' that dress back before ye go."

"I always liked you," Jack muttered to Koehler, who grunted angrily.

Elizabeth glared and removed the dress. "Goes with your black heart," she muttered, thrusting it at him.

Barbossa pressed it against his cheek. "Ooh, it's still warm."

"This coming from the guy who can't feel anything?"

Elizabeth stared down for a little longer before Bo'sun stomped on the board. Lizzie fell in, screaming. Barbossa smiled and turned to me. "Your turn now."

I shrugged. "'Kay." I raced onto the plank and jumped off. "GERANIMO!" I hit the water with a sharp splash. I resurfaced just as Jack dove in. He came up with his pistol. I cut his binds, and the three of us swam towards the island.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

About five minutes later, we all stumbled onto shore. Jack looked back at the Pearl regretfully. "That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship."

I stumbled onto dry land. Suddenly, dizziness swept over me again, this time stronger. I lay down, panting. I was so hot…I whimpered softly and let myself fall into the deep, dark void of unconsciousness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Jack's POV)**

Well, isn't this a wonderful situation! Now we're all trapped on this bloody island and Barbossa has my ship! Stupid bloody whelp! BUGGER!

I was jerked out of my thoughts by Elizabeth rushing over. "What happened?" I asked, standing.

"It's your friend…Mary, was it?"

I felt me blood chill. "Aye…what happened?"

"I don't know…I was taking a walk when I saw her lying on the sand…I think she's unconscious!"

I remembered back to when Mary collapsed on the Pearl. I knew she shouldn't have left the cell! Elizabeth andrushed over to where Mary was lying on the ground. I stopped short, staring in shock. "God above!"

Mary was breathing hard and sweating like mad. Her skin was pale. I touched her forehead, but jerked my hand back – she's burning up! "Mary?" I whispered, tapping her shoulder. She responded with a soft whimper. "Mary!" I pressed her limp form against me. Maybe if she feels something, she'll wake up.

Elizabeth knelt down beside us. "I've seen this before with one of our maids…I think Mary has heat exhaustion."

Heat exhaustion?! "Will she be all right?" I asked trying to keep my voice calm.

"Maybe, if we treat her right away."

"How can we treat her?! Thanks to that display from your eunuch friend, we're stuck on a deserted island!"

Elizabeth's lips tightened. "We may not be able to give her medicine, but we can look after her until help arrives."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

Elizabeth scanned the island. "Bring her over to that shady spot under those trees." She walked over to the clearing near the hidden rum cache. I picked up Mary and followed. Mary stirred and whimpered again. "Easy, luv," I murmured. "Everything's going to be all right." I wasn't sure if she could hear, but saying the words out loud helped me believe them.

I put her down in the shade. Elizabeth grabbed her hat and handed it to me. "Here – go fill this with seawater."

I smiled weakly. "Her hat? I don't think she'll be too happy if –"

"Do it!"

I raced to the water's edge and dunked the hat under. Once it was full, I rushed back, careful not to spill any. Suddenly, I had a wonderful idea. I dumped the water onto Mary's face.

Elizabeth glared at me. "Why did you do that?"

"To cool her down."

Elizabeth sighed and snatched the hat out of my hands. She walked down to the water's edge. Wait…she's going to cool Mary down by sponging her face with seawater! But what can we use for a rag? Maybe…of course! I ripped off a piece of my sleeve as Elizabeth came back. She took the cloth, giving me grudging thanks, and dipped it in the water. She then opened Mary's mouth slightly and wrung out the cloth over Mary's mouth. Water poured in, quenching her thirst.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that best for her?"

"It's all we've got," Elizabeth answered, sponging Mary's face. I thought of the rum, but remembered that alcohol would only make her worse.

When Elizabeth was finished, Mary's eyes slowly opened. "Jack…" she said hoarsely.

"Sh," I whispered, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. "You need to sleep now, luv. I'll keep you safe. Promise."

Mary gave a tiny nod and closed her eyes once more. I watched her for a long time before walking back to the beach.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**(Mary's POV)**

When I woke up, it was dark and considerably cooler. I felt much better, but incredibly thirsty. I staggered down to the shoreline and took a long drink. Disgusting, but I remembered that my only other option – rum – wouldn't help my sickness, whatever it was.

I suddenly noticed the bonfire. Slowly getting to my feet, I stumbled over just in time to hear Jack say, "To the Black Pearl!"

I thought quickly; I wanted to talk to Jack before he passed out. "Jack," I said. My voice sounded weak and small.

Jack turned his head. "Mary...Mary! You're all right!" He stood, lurched over, and locked me in an embrace. I was too shocked and weak to return the hug.

Elizabeth stood. "Mary," she said in voice that suggested that she was very bad at pretending to be drunk, "what are you doing up? You need to rest."

"I will; I just had to see if you guys were okay. I feel better, actually. What was wrong with me?"

"Heat exhaustion. You've apparently been working hard in the hot sun for days with little food or rest. You need to be more careful!"

I nodded, remembering how scary that felt.

"This calls for a drink!" Jack announced, and drained his bottle. He promptly collapsed, out cold.

I sighed. "If it isn't one thing, it's another. Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine; he's just sleeping off the rum. Mary, you need to go back and rest."

"Won't you need help making a signal?"

Lizzie's eyes widened. "How did you – oh, never mind, I can manage. We can't afford you getting sick again!"

I rolled my eyes but nodded. I started walking back, but decided to thank my other rescuer. I knelt down beside Jack and whispered, "Thanks for taking care of me, Jack." Jack stirred but didn't wake. Reluctantly, I made my way back to the clearing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I woke the next morning to the smell of smoke and Jack's frantic shouts. "No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade; the rum!"

I staggered to the fire just as Elizabeth said, "Yes, the rum is gone."

"Why is the rum gone?"

"ONE, because it is a vile dink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels, two, that signal is over a thousand feet high! The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me; do you really think that there would be even the slightest chance they wouldn't see it?!"

I chuckled. "And for those of you at home, that was a rhetorical question."

Jack looked at me for a moment, relief in his eyes. Then he turned back to Elizabeth. "But why is the rum gone?!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sat down. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow. Give it one hour, maybe two. Keep a weather eye open and you'll see white sails on the horizon."

Jack pulled out his pistol, thought better of it, and stormed off. "Jack!" I called. He kept going. "Wait up!" I started racing after him. Unfortunately, I still felt terrible, and had to stop several times. After about ten minutes, I caught him. "Jack, listen, I –"

**SMACK!**

Before I knew what had happened, I was on the ground again, hand on my stinging cheek. Jack stood over me, anger gleaming in his eyes. But soon, that anger turned to shock. "Mary, I…bugger, I'm sorry Mary! I thought you were Elizabeth!"

"It's okay," I whispered, standing.

"No, it's not. I've been completely neglectful of your condition." He looked away. "I don't want you to get any worse…"

I looked at him for a long time before answering. "Jack, really, I'm not mad. To tell the truth, I probably would've done the same thing. And don't worry, I feel f…" Another wave of dizziness took over me. I swayed slightly, moaning. Jack wrapped his arms around me. "Mary, you need to relax! All this exertion could kill you!"

I smiled weakly. "Jack…I think the best thing is to get me aboard the Dauntless?"

"Get you aboard…?" Jack looked out to sea, and then back to the bonfire. "They'll be no living with her after this."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Silverstar: That took a while. R&R!


	12. Plotting and a Little More JackxMary

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 12! I'm sorry about the wait. I'm not going to mince words with you people: I'm in a slump. I can't get motivated, despite my wonderful reviewers. But I'll try my best.

**J. B. Duenweg: **Thanks for reviewing!

**X5-452-54:** Mine too. Thanks for reviewing!

**Manson: **Thanks for reviewing!

**XTakaX27: **Yeah, but all they had left was rum, and when someone has heat exhaustion, drinks with alcohol and caffeine will make them even sicker. Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfen-Ways: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Midnight226: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Miwbastet: **Thanks for reviewing!

**HoodiesRsoft: **Yeah, but everyone does cannonballs in these types of stories. I made mine a bit different. Thanks for reviewing!

**kiri268: **Thanks for reviewing!

**SilverGhostKitsune: **You don't think he's being too OOC, do you? Thanks for reviewing!

**hikishianara: **But of course! Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Toby. I do own Mary and Dr. Hastings.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Twelve: Plotting and a Little More JackxMary

**(Mary's POV)**

"But we have to save Will!" Elizabeth said on the Dauntless. Jack was still supporting me, as I had had yet another attack of dizziness.

"No!" Governor Swann protested. "You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates!"

"Dude, I think your wig is on a bit too tight," I broke in.

"Then we condemn him to death!" Elizabeth argued.

"The boy's fate is regrettable, but then so is his decision to engage in piracy."

"To rescue me! To prevent anything from happening to me!"

"Just give him a chance, Governor; okay, he's kinda stupid and naive and stuff, but he means well!" **(1)**

"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion," Jack said to Norrington. "The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle; it's very unlikely that she could make good time."

"Think about it Jimmy," I murmured weakly. "This is the Black Pearl we're talking about. There's only like three or four big pirate threats in the Caribbean, and this is the biggest. So what do you say? Care for a little game of hide-and-seek?"

Norrington gave me his trademark stony stare. "By remembering that I serve others, Miss Anderson, not just myself." He began to walk away.

Lizzie wasn't finished yet. "Commodore, I beg you, please do this! For me…as a wedding gift."

"Oh, brother," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "So begins Lizzie's crazy love issues."

"Elizabeth?" Governor Swann asked hopefully. "Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?"

Elizabeth looked around. "…I am."

Jack grinned. "A wedding! I LOVE weddings! Drinks all around!"

"Which is why you love weddings."

"Of course! Why else?"

Needless to say, Norrington was not a happy camper at that point. Jack smiled weakly. "I know…clap them in irons, right?" He held out his hands.

Norrington sighed. "Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and give us a bearing to Isla de Muerta. You and Miss Anderson will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase, 'silent as the grave.' Do I make myself clear?"

Jack winced. "Inescapably clear."

Suddenly, I heard something fall. Now what the hell just fell? Lizzie screamed and someone called, "Dr. Hastings!"

Oh. I guess that was me.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When I opened my eyes next, I was lying in a hammock. A short, middle-aged man was standing over me. "Ah, good," he said with a friendly smile. "You're up."

I rubbed my head. "Who're you?"

"I'm Dr. Hastings. The ship's doctor, of course. You gave us quite the scare back there. Heat exhaustion, my oh my." He handed me a flask. "Here, drink this."

I took it and peered inside. Water! I gratefully gulped it down.

"Slowly!"

I obliged. When I finished, I asked, "Where's Jack?"

"Out on deck. The commodore's asking him to help prepare a…where are you going?"

I paused at the door. "On deck. And no, you can't stop me."

Hastings sighed. "Well, don't do anything reckless. You aren't completely recovered yet."

I smiled. "Oh sure, Doc. Nothing reckless. Nothing at all." I wonder, does a swordfight with the archenemy of my maybe-a-little-more-than-a-friend count as reckless?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What the water didn't cure, the cool night air did. I took several grateful breaths and looked around. Jack was talking to Lizzie a little ways away. Disgusted, I ignored them and walked to the edge of the ship. Looking down, I tried to ignore all Sparrowbeth scenes that popped into my head.

"_Funny," _I thought. _"Now I'm even MORE annoyed by that."_

"Feeling better, luv?"

I turned to see Jack swaggering over. "A bit." I raised an eyebrow and tried to compose myself. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt your conversation with Elizabeth?"

Jack blinked. "No, it's just that I…why did…are you mad at me?"

I looked down at the water. "No."

"Then what's wrong?"

I shook my head. I felt Jack's arms snake around my waist. "C'mon, luv, tell me what's wrong. Please?"

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "Jack…you care about Elizabeth, don't you? Please, don't lie. I need to know."

Jack was silent for a long time. "All right, I do care about Elizabeth, but…I care about you more."

I turned to face him. Oh my God, did I really just hear that? "What?"

"Mary, I know you must know a few things about my past. I'm sure what you don't know is…I've never said anything remotely resembling that to any of my…acquaintances."

Is he implying…? "You're lying."

"No, I'm not. I'd never lie to you." Jack leaned in a bit closer. I closed my eyes, inhaling his already familiar scent of rum and seawater.

"Are you two coming?"

I glared at Norrington. "Dammit, Jimmy, way to kill the moment! It's no wonder no one but my demented friend Lisa likes you!"

Jack smiled weakly. "Time to go."

"Yeah," I hesitated, but followed him to the boats.

This is _way_ more than fangirlism.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Norrington lowered his spyglass. "I don't care for the situation; any attempt to storm the cave could turn to an ambush."

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing," Jack told him. "I go in, I convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats; you and _your_ mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus out of them with your little cannons. What do you have to lose?"

Norrington thought. "Nothing I'd lament being rid of."

I frowned. "You know, that wig makes you look like an ice cream cone." Everyone stared at me. "What? He admitted it on the bonus disk!" **(2)**

"Now, to be quite honest with you," Jack continued after a moment, "there's still a slight risk to those aboard the Dauntless."

"Including the future Mrs. Commodore, savvy?" I piped up.

Norrington thought for a second. Jack and I exchanged a grin. Lizzie would be locked up tight till she was needed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Soon, Jack and I were inside the cave. Before I could get out of the boat, Jack grabbed my hand. "Mary, are you sure you feel up to this? If not…it could be dangerous."

I smiled. "Don't worry about me, Jack. I'll be fine; I promise."

Jack nodded, and together we made our way into the chamber. The pirates were already chanting. I could see Toby in the very front. We started pushing our way through the crowd.

It took a moment for Barbossa to realize we were here. "Hello, mate!" I called up.

"Jack! Mary!" Will gasped.

"It's not possible," Barbossa murmured.

"Not _probable_," I corrected as Bo'sun grabbed Jack's shoulder. "Nothing's impossible, particularly with Jack around."

"It's true!" Jack added.

"Where's Elizabeth?"

"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like _she_ promised, Mary's been a great help to me, just like _she_ promised, and you get to die for Elizabeth, just like _you_ promised. So, we're all men of our word, really…except for Elizabeth and Mary who are, in fact, women."

"Shut up!" Barbossa snarled. "You're next!" He leaned in to cut Will's throat.

"Um, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" I called, beginning to set the plan in motion.

Barbossa looked at me. "Yes, but you aren't me; I am. And I really think I do want to do that."

I sighed. "Okay, dude, it's your funeral." Now, according to Jack, this plan would fail if Barbossa ignored my persuasion skills. But, Barbossa seemed to be too much in love with me (ew!) not to listen. "_Why _wouldn't you do it?"

Jack took it over from there. "Well because…" He jerked his shoulder out of Bo'sun's grasp. "Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just off shore, waiting for you."

"You're bluffing!" Toby called.

"No we aren't!" I called back. I rushed over to Barbossa. "Look, mate, before you shoot anybody, listen to me. Now, you send your men out there, they go break stuff, maybe make a mess, hey, what do you know? Congratulations, you've got two ships! One plus one equals two, and two or more ships equals a fleet! Of course, you'd want the grander ship as your own. No one would question that. But here's where the accord comes in: what about the Pearl? If Jack here is captain, he'll sail under _your_ colors, give you ten percent of his plunder, and at the end of the day…" I leaned a little closer. "…you get to introduce yourself as _Commodore_ Barbossa. The girls will love it!"

Barbossa thought about it, looking for loopholes. "I suppose in exchange, you want me to not kill the whelp."

Jack spoke this time. "No, no, by all means, kill the whelp. Just…not yet. Wait until the opportune moment." He picked a couple coins up from the chest. "For instance, after you kill Norrington's men. Every…last…one." He dropped a coin in at each word. With a little slight of hand, he tucked the last one into his sleeve.

By this time, Will was furious. "You've been planning this from the beginning, ever since you learned my name!"

"Yeah."

"Honestly, not really; we kinda made it up as we went along. We're still rooting for you mate. Really!"

"I want fifty percent of your plunder!" Barbossa interrupted.

Jack turned back toward him. "Fifteen!"

"Forty!"

"Twenty-five! And I'll buy you a hat! A really big one…Commodore."

I took a deep breath. "And…I'll sail on your ship." The crowd gasped, and Jack gave me a look that said, "This wasn't part of the plan!" It didn't matter; I had the feeling that Barbossa wouldn't accept the deal without one deciding factor…"Which means you'll be my captain, which means…I have to obey your orders."

_That_ got the crowd's attention. They laughed and whistled. Barbossa smiled suggestively. "We have an accord!" he announced, and shook Jack's and my hands.

Jack looked like he was going to be sick, but he still followed the plan. "All hands to the boats!"

Silence.

"My apologies; you give the orders."

Barbossa smirked. "Gents…take a walk."

The crowd cheered and raced to the water's edge.

Jack blinked. "Not to the boats?"

"Oh, that's it," I groaned. "We're screwed. We're gonna die and go to the _bad place_."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1)** Well, in this movie, he kind of is.

**(2) **He did. Look at the making of the movie feature.

Silverstar: Hope you guys enjoyed the JackxMary moment there. R&R!


	13. Didn't See That Coming!

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 13! And to all those who asked, I am planning to make DMC and AWE stories.

**Miwbastet: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Koryu Elric: **Thanks for reviewing!

**DxS Phreak: **You're a fangirl for all of them? That must keep you busy! Thanks for reviewing!

**SparrowsVixen: **I know, right? That's why I asked everyone if I wanted a JackxOC story. Thanks for reviewing!

**hikishianara:** CURSE YOU, NORRINGTON! Thanks for reviewing!

**jacksparrowssparrow:** Aw, thanks! Thanks for reviewing!

**kiri268: **Thanks for reviewing!

**SilverGhostKitsune: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: Can't say it…too…painful…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Thirteen: Didn't See That Coming!

**(Mary's POV)**

About ten minutes later, the only other crewmembers of the Pearl were Toby, Jacoby, and two other guys that have no names cause they're unimportant to the plot. They were guarding Will. Jack was observing the various valuables, and I was trying to avoid Barbossa.

"All right, lass, I know you're behind the rock. You can come out now!"

This guy needs a hobby. I walked over to where Jack was, grimacing. I tapped my cutlass sheath, and then jerked my head towards the pirates. Jack grinned.

Barbossa turned to Jack. "I must admit Jack, I thought I had you figured. But it turns out you're a hard man to predict."

Jack put down the golden statue he was holding. "Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.

"Honestly!" I piped up. "But see, if you're going to keep an eye on anyone, it should be someone honest, because you never know when they're going to do something really, really stupid."

"Aye," Jack agreed. He grabbed one of the pirate's swords, shoved him in the water, tossed Will the sword, and pulled out his own. I pulled out mine and charged towards Toby. Toby pulled out his cutlass, but suddenly dropped it. His whole body tensed, and his pupils dilated.

Everyone stopped fighting to watch. Barbossa laughed. "You've started your attack a little late, eh?"

I looked up to see the clouds rolling away from the moon. Wait a sec…no. No, it can't be. They're not real…are they?

There was a loud growl, some ripping, and a bloodcurdling howl. Toby was gone. In his place was a large, skeletal animal. Even in the form of a rotted corpse. I could still identify the long, gray hair clinging to the bones. Toby was a werewolf.

I stared in shock. "For the record, I _did not_ see that coming."

Toby picked up his cutlass and laughed. "Ready for a little fun?" he said, his voice deeper and more guttural.

I pointed my cutlass at him. "You know it, Wolfie."

Sparks flew as our blades connected. I slashed at his chest; he leapt out of the way. "Why bother with that sword?" I asked as he landed. "You've got teeth and claws and whatever."

Toby chuckled. "I like to play with my food first."

"Isn't that cats?"

"Shut up."

We clashed again. I could barely believe it; I was fighting a werewolf! How the hell did he get here? Did they even exist in this movie? I was jerked out of my thoughts by his sword whistling over my head. Dang, he was fast! I had never been this outmatched before, and him three years younger than me!

Finally, I spotted an opening. I slashed at his shoulder. He howled in pain as I heard bone crunch. Wow…guess I don't know my own strength.

At that moment I heard Barbossa say, "You can't be me, Jack!" Jack thrust his sword into Barbossa's chest. Of course, it did nothing. Barbossa sighed and stabbed Jack.

I gasped and Toby laughed. "Say good-bye to your precious _captain_!"

I took a deep breath. "Oh, I don't think so." Toby frowned. I looked over to where Jack was examining his new skeleton form. "Looking good!" I called up. Jack waved. I turned back to Toby. "That part always gets me. Jack's a real good actor."

Toby snarled. He dropped his cutlass, reverted to all fours, and howled. "Oh my God," I whispered, and started running. Toby chased after me. I rushed passed the chest and saw Barbossa's apple lying forlornly on the ground. I scooped it up just as Barbossa was chasing Jack back into the lower part of the chamber. **(1)**

I grinned and hurled the apple at him. It hit his head, creating a satisfying THUD. Barbossa snarled and rushed towards me. I felt my eyes widen.

Suddenly, Jack leapt in front of me and stabbed Barbossa in the stomach. Barbossa doubled over and Jack ran off. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" I called after him.

"I can't die, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

I started running from Toby again. I was starting to get tired when I tripped over the guy with the gold jar on his head. "Gee thanks, Jar-head!" I grumbled. Toby loomed over me, snarling and licking his lips.

At that point, Will and Lizzie set off the explosion. Toby yelped as a wave of energy sent him flying. I stood and rushed to Will and Elizabeth. "Well, it took you long enough!" I said to Elizabeth. She frowned.

Barbossa turned and cocked his gun at Elizabeth. BOOM! Elizabeth gasped.

Barbossa frowned and turned around. Jack was pointing his gun at Barbossa. The barrel was smoking.

Barbossa smiled. "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot!"

"He didn't waste it." Will dropped the last two coins into the chest.

Barbossa's eyes widened. I smirked. "Game over, dude. Oh, by the way…you're not my type."

Barbossa looked down at the blood flowing from his chest. He looked at Jack. "I feel…cold." He fell to the ground, the apple falling from his hand. He was dead…for now.

Toby looked down at the flesh and muscle on his werewolf form. He held his broken arm limp and observed the slow-moving blood. I smiled and pointed my sword at him. Toby smiled weakly. "Um…right then. I'll just…see myself out."

"Yeah, go do that," I replied. Toby raced out of the cave, yelping.

I grinned at Jack. He grinned back. We had won our first battle together.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few minutes later, I was leaning against a wall, watching Will and Lizzie. They smiled at each other and leaned in…

CRASH!

"Jack!" I groaned. "Why do you always have to ruin the moment!?"

"Sorry!"

"Yeah, you'd better be!"

Lizzie smiled at Will. "We should return to the Dauntless."

Will nodded stoically. "You're fiancé will be wanting to know you're safe." Lizzie, looking like she was about to cry, sadly walked away.

Jack went over, adorned with gold. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment…that was it."

Will looked at me, and back at Jack. "Speaking of the opportune moment…"

Jack blinked. He slowly walked over to me. "Hello," he said.

"Hi."

"Uh…are you alright?"

"Aye. You?"

Jack nodded. "Aye. Uh, listen, luv, I…I need to tell you…I…I…" He smiled weakly. "Can we, uh…go back to the Pearl now?"

I smiled, trying to hide my confusion and disappointment. "Sure, Jack."

I didn't have the heart to tell him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(1) **That part right before Elizabeth argues with the crew about the Code. I always thought someone should throw something at him there.

Silverstar: I'm sorry to say that Chapter 14 will be the last. Not to worry, though: I'll get started on the DMC story as soon as this is done! R&R!


	14. Life Lessons from a Pirate

A Pirate's Life for Me

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 14!

**Koryu Elric: **Thanks for reviewing!

**SparrowsVixen: **I was hoping to make people laugh with that line. Thanks for reviewing!

**jacksparrowssparrow:** Glad you liked it! Update soon!

**Little Miss Vampirate: **I know how that feels. Thanks for reviewing!

**DxS Phreak: **Thanks for reviewing!

**SilverGhostKitsune: **Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I only own Mary.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Fourteen: Life Lessons from a Pirate

**(Mary's POV)**

"This is wrong!" I argued as Jack's crimes were read. "Jack is a good man, and he saved all your sorry butts from undead pirates! Why are you killing him?"

"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law, as are we all," Governor Swann said, in a tone that stated the argument was over.

I stared at him. "A wise person once said, 'perhaps on the rare occasion, pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course.'" I looked at Jack, standing around the podium with the noose around his neck. He gave me a weak smile. I felt like I was going to cry.

Will made his way over. "Governor Swann. Commodore Norrington. Mary." We nodded at our names. Will turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth…I should've told you every day from the moment I met you…I love you."

"Awwwww! Every Willabether's dream!" I said happily. The others just looked shocked. "Oh, come on, people! He's been dropping hints for eight bloody years!"

As the drums picked up speed, Will pushed back into the crowd. I followed him. I tapped his shoulder. "I know what you're going to do," I told him softly. "I'm going to help."

Will smiled, and the two of us shoved past people to the front. "Move!" Will hissed.

"Out of our way!" I added. "This is a matter of life and death!"

Just as the platform began to fall, Will threw his sword. It lodged itself in the platform. Jack stood on it, allowing him to get some air. While Will battled the executioner, I maneuvered around them and slashed the rope holding Jack up. He fell to the ground, freed.

I jumped off the podium. "Hey Jack," I said. "Enjoying your stay in Port Royal?"

Jack chuckled. "You're a lifesaver, luv."

"It's a living."

Jack and I rushed out from under the podium just as Will leapt off it. We ran together, Jack in the middle, Will and I on either side. Oh man, that must look so cool!

I veered off as Jack and Will did their rope trick and launched myself at the soldiers. Compared to Barbossa and his crew, they were a piece of cake. I quickly disarmed two of them, and then clashed with a third. Suddenly, Jack was there, slashing and whipping sword around, protecting me.

"Now who's the lifesaver?" I called, racing away. Jack ran after me, and Will joined us.

About thirty seconds later, we were trapped in the circle of guards. Will was valiantly trying to fight the soldiers, Jack was blowing the feather on Will's hat away, and I was muttering about a poor escape attempt from the whelp.

Norrington glared at us. "I thought we might to have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt, but not from you." He looked at Will.

Governor Swann looked completely flabbergasted. "On our return to Port Royal, I granted you two clemency, and this is how you repay me? By throwing in your lot with _him_? He's a pirate!"

"And a good man!"

"In your face," I said to Norrington, and Jack pointed at himself, just in case no one got the message.

Will went on with his hero speech. "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs –"

"Three pairs."

"– three pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be cleared."

Norrington wasn't moved. "You forget your place, Turner."

"It's right here; between you and Jack."

I nodded. "Mine too."

Elizabeth stepped forward. "As is mine."

"Elizabeth," Governor Swann whispered in shock. "Lower your weapons…for goodness sake, put them down!" The soldiers obliged.

Norrington looked heartbroken, but not surprised. "So…this is where your heart…truly lies, then?"

"It is."

I sighed dramatically. "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Jack whistled. "Amazing. For once, you're actually serious."

"You bet." I stepped to the front of the group. "And while I'm being serious, I think I'll do you guys a favor: a nice little advice session-slash-fortune telling thing." I turned to Norrington. "I'll start with you, Norrington. You, sir, are way too obsessed. You need to relax, find a hobby, maybe act like a pirate now and then. If you don't, it could wreck your life…and it will. No, really. I'm dead serious."

I moved on to Lizzie's dad. "I don't think the corset is the _only _thing suffocating your daughter. She's not a kid anymore; she can take care of herself."

Next were Will and Lizzie. "What I have to say is directed at both of you: these last few days, you didn't act like a blacksmith or governor's daughter. You acted like pirates. Remember that part of you. Keep it close. It may come in handy one day soon. I wish you a long, happy life together." They smiled.

Finally, I turned to Jack. "Jack…thank you. For everything. If not for you, I would've been dead long before now." I looked around. "Uh…I'll say the rest on the ship. That is, if we can find it, and if I'm still welcome."

Jack smiled. "You're always welcome, luv."

"Squawk! Awww!"

We both looked up to see Cotton's parrot taking flight. I grinned and mouthed, "Ship's here."

Jack smiled and said to the Governor, "Well, I'm feeling rather good about all this. I think we've all reached a very special place …spiritually…ecumenically…grammatically…" The Governor turned away, disgusted by Jack's breath. Jack moved on to Norrington. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that. Elizabeth…it would've never worked between us, darling. I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure she's heartbroken." A couple soldiers laughed.

"Will…nice hat."

"Yeah, you look like a real pirate!"

Jack stood on the wall of the fort. "Friends, this is the day you will always remember as the day –" Jack lost his balance and tumbled into the sea.

We all stared at the waves for a second. I broke the silence by saying, "Riiiight…well, see y'all in the sequel! CANNONBALL!" I jumped off the fort.

The cool water was a relief from the hot sun. I stayed beneath the waves for a minute, savoring our victory, before re-emerging. I hugged Jack. "We did it!"

Jack hugged me back. "Aye, but now we need to swim to our ship." He pointed at the rapidly approaching Pearl.

I laughed and started swimming. "Race you!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hold on tight," Jack said, and wrapped one arm around my waist. With the other, he reached up and grabbed the rope…and not a moment too soon. With a powerful tug, we flew up over the Pearl.

I laughed as we landed on board. "Let's do that again!"

"Thought you were supposed to keep to the Code," Jack said to Gibbs, only half serious.

Gibbs smiled. "We figured they were more actual guidelines." He helped us up, and Cotton handed Jack his hat.

"Captain Sparrow," Anamaria said, smiling. She walked over and put Jack's coat around his shoulders. "The Black Pearl is yours."

Jack walked over to the wheel. He gently ran his hand across it.

Gibbs tapped my shoulder. "Lass…are you crying?"

I wiped away a tear. "I…I'm sorry…I just love this ending."

"Me too, luv," Jack murmured. He turned to the rest of the crew with his "Captain Jack Sparrow" face on. "On deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces! Let down and haul to run free!"

The crew started moving in different directions. I started to help Gibbs with the sails when I heard Jack say, "Wait a minute, Mary."

I turned back to him. "Captain?"

Jack took a deep breath. "What I wanted to say before, back on Isla de Muerta…I couldn't have done this without you."

I went closer to him. "You could've, Jack. I really didn't do much."

Jack leaned a bit closer. "You did more than you know."

I don't know who started it, but the next thing I knew, we were locked in a kiss. I felt myself tense, then slowly relax. _"Is this really happening?"_ I thought before I let go of any coherent thought.

We broke apart after who knows how long. I smiled at Jack. "That felt good."

"Aye," he whispered hoarsely. He ran a hand through my hair. "It's little wonder why everyone's after you, luv."

I gently kissed his cheek. "You're one to talk."

He chuckled. "So, Mary, I'll make you a deal. You go up to the crow's nest now, and we'll continue this later, savvy?"

"Oh, I savvy, all right." I said. I slid past him and started climbing the mast. I saw Gibbs smiling slyly. "What are you looking at?" I asked. He didn't answer.

I climbed to the crow's nest and peered out over the water, barely believing what had just happened. Captain Jack Sparrow was in love with me! This was unreal!

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," I sang softly, believing every word.

Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation throughout my whole body. What the…oh no. No! I looked down at my bracelet to see it glowing faintly.

"NO!" I wailed. "I can't be going back now! Not yet!" I vaguely heard yelling from below. I thought I heard Jack calling my name before I passed out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next thing I knew, I was in my bed. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed.

My mom came charging into my room. "Mary, what's wrong?"

I looked at the clock. Seven AM. I tried answering my mom, but I started crying. My mom came over and hugged me. I barely noticed her. I was back…but this didn't feel like home. I knew I belonged with Jack.

Hold it…maybe one day…I'll go back! And until then, I'd wait.

"_So long, Jack,"_ I thought. _"I love you. Don't go looking for the Dead Man's Chest without me!"_

A pirate's life for me…the life I can't wait to live again!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Silverstar: A nice bit of fluff to close out. And now, for the sequel! For those that want to know, it's called, "Aaaah! Freaky Fish People!" Yeah, it's weird, but then again, I'm weird. MWAHAHAHAHA! So, I'll post the sequel as soon as I can. Keep a weather eye on the horizon!


End file.
